Syria's Assad Visits Iran for First Time in Over 3 Years - State Media

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Syrian President Bashar Assad paid a working visit to Tehran for the first time in more than three years and met with the Iranian leadership on Sunday, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

Assad discussed bilateral relations as well as issues of shared interest and latest developments in the region and world with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi, the report said.

Assad praised the cooperation between Syria and Iran, especially in the fight against terrorism. He also said that Iran's "approach ... in dealing with regional and international affairs" benefits not only their two countries but also the entire region.

Khamenei said, as quoted by his office, that "the bond and the relationship between Iran and Syria are vital to both countries, and we should not let these relations weaken. Rather, we should strengthen them as much as possible."

Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war, with Assad's troops fighting against various armed groups, including terrorists. Iran has supported the Syrian president and his armed forces in various ways, including by acting as a co-guarantor — together with Russia and Turkey — of reconciliation talks between the Syrian government and opposition within the so-called Astana format.

This was Assad's second visit to Iran since the beginning of the war, with the first one taking place in February of 2019.