TEHRAN -- Visiting Syrian parliamentarian Mohammad Habash who has taken part in the 16th International Conference on Islamic Unity in Tehran conferred Sunday with Majlis Commissioner for National Security and Foreign Policy Mohsen Armin on expansion of mutual parliamentary cooperation.

According to the Public Relations Department of Majlis, at the meeting, Armin reviewed the two sides political, geographical, cultural and religious commonalties and said after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Tehran and Damascus set up strategic ties to the benefit of world Muslims.

Highlighting the significant role of Syria against threats posed by Israel, he described the late Syrian president Hafez al-Assad as "a popular character in the Muslim world" and said President Bashar al-Assad who follows the stance of his late father enjoys a very significant status among regional leaders.

He said that situation in the region is very sensitive and called for closer ties among Islamic states in line with preserving the interests of the Muslims and people in the region, IRNA reported.

Habash praised the significant role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in regional and global developments and expressed hope that the recent visit of President Mohammad Khatami to Syria was very useful for the two countries.

Lauding the initiatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran in forming the Islamic Inter-Parliamentary Union, he called for further cooperation among Islamic states mainly in political, economic and parliamentary fields.

The two sides called for active cooperation of the parliamentary friendship groups and underlined the need for continued exchange of visits between the Iranian and Syrian officials.