Zarif Aims to Implement Tehran-Damascus Deals during Syria Visit

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif highlighted the objectives behind his trip to Syria, saying he plans to follow up on the implementation of previously reached agreements between the two countries.

Speaking to reporters upon his arrival in Damascus on Tuesday, Zarif said he has made the visit to hold consultations with Syrian officials about the latest regional and international issues.

He further said his trip aims to pursue the implementation of the recent agreements reached between the presidents of the two countries.

Zarif went on to say that after the visit to Syria, he would travel to Turkey with the same objectives.

Heading a high-ranking diplomatic delegation, Zarif arrived in Damascus for meetings with top Syrian officials, including his counterpart Walid al-Muallem and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The two-day tour will later take Zarif then to Turkey.

The meetings during the tour -part of the routine political negotiations and coordination with Syria and Turkey- will focus on the major issues in the bilateral relations, including the agreements agreed upon by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Syrian and Turkish counterparts.

Zarif’s visit is also aimed at the coordination of policies on the regional and international developments in order to ensure peace and stability in the region.

Iran and Turkey, together with Russia, are the guarantors of a ceasefire in Syria which has been brokered after several rounds of peace talks, known as the Astana process.

Since March 2011, fighting in Syria has claimed the lives of an estimated 465,000 people, injured more than one million, and forced about 12 million people - or half the country's pre-war population - from their homes.