Minister Reiterates Iran's Continued Support for Syria


Minister Reiterates Iran's Continued Support for Syria

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Minister of Labor, Cooperatives and Welfare Ali Rabeiei said Tehran will continue its support for the Syrian nation since the move will boost regional peace given the growing trend of terrorism in the region and the crisis-hit country.

"Terrorism is a serious issue in the region and in Syria," Rabeiei said in a meeting with Syrian Minister of Social Affairs Kinda al-Shammat on Sunday, adding that Tehran's support for Syria under the current circumstances is a sign of Iran’s support for the regional peace and stability.

The Iranian minister further said Iran will never bow to pressure and stop supporting Syria, stressing that regional peace is more important to Iran than anything else.

On Friday, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said the future of Syria should be decided by the Syrian nation alone, adding that outsiders are not entitled to decide the country’s destiny.

It would be a mistake to assume that the Syrian nation’s future can be decided from outside the country, Rouhani said upon his arrival in Tehran on Friday evening after participating in the 44th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland.

He said the first step in stopping bloodshed in the Arab country would be to reach "a collective decision on the fight against terrorism in Syria" and to push terrorists out of that country.

"The second step" President Rouhani said "is to send humanitarian aid to the Syrian nation and help them live a better life."

And as regards the third step to resolve the prolonged crisis in Syria, Rouhani said efforts should be directed to launch dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition.

Syria's war that started in 2011 has so far killed over 130,000 people, driven more than a third of the country's 22 million people from their homes and made half dependent on aid, including hundreds of thousands cut off by fighting.

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