Iranian Military Advisors will Continue Presence in Syria

Local Editor

A senior Iranian commander confirmed that the country's military advisors will maintain their presence in Syria, giving more details about a military cooperation agreement reached between Tehran and Damascus this week.

Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami and his Syrian counterpart, General Ali Abdullah Ayyoub, signed an agreement on defense and technical cooperation in Damascus on Sunday.

 Iran and Syria have signed an agreement on defense and technical cooperation during a visit by Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami.

The document "will define the areas of bilateral presence, participation, and cooperation” in defense ties, Hatami said, adding Syria has put the era of war behind it and has entered the era of reconstruction.

"The continuation of presence of Iranian (military) advisors in Syria was one of the points of the defense and technical agreement between Tehran and Damascus," IRNA quoted Iran's military and defense attaché to Damascus, Brigadier General Abolqassem Alinejad, as saying on Tuesday.

He added that the agreement was signed in line with the two countries' will to improve cooperation.

The Iranian official further emphasized that the expansion of defense cooperation between Iran and Syria would help promote peace and stability in the Middle East.

The Iranian commander said the accord also stressed the importance of support for Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty, adding that it came into effect on the day of its conclusion.

According the agreement, Iran will help Syria in clearing minefields in different parts of the war-ravaged country given the Islamic Republic's experience gained during the eight-year war imposed by the regime of Iraq's former dictator Saddam Hussein, he added.

Iran also vowed to help Syria to reconstruct the military factories that were damaged in Syria's seven-year war and rebuild its infrastructure, Alinejad said.

In a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, Hatami hailed the steadfastness of the Syrian people and government forces in their battle against terrorism, expressing confidence that they will achieve a final victory in this path.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team