TEHRAN - Iran and Syria signed a military and security agreement in Damascus on Wednesday.

The agreement was signed by Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri and Syrian Defense Minister Ali Abdullah Ayyoub. 

According to the IRIB, the agreement is aimed at boosting military and technical cooperation and coordination to counter increasing challenges and threats.

“Continuation of fighting the Takfiri terrorism which is being supported by certain regional and international powers is one of the objectives of this agreement,” the two sides said in a joint statement. 

“The military agreement was signed in line with implementing the two countries’ political and military leaders’ guidelines in order to play more effective role in countering any foreign aggression through promotion of Tehran and Damascus’ defense capabilities,” the statement added.

The Arabic-language al-Mayadeen news website quoted General Bagheri as saying after inking the agreement that Iran “will strengthen Syria’s air defense systems in line with the reinvigoration of military cooperation between the two countries,” according to Fars news agency.

Elsewhere, Iran’s military chief criticized Turkey for lack of commitment to its undertakings based on the Astana peace process to eliminate terrorist groups from Syria, suggesting that Ankara’s problems will be settled through talks and agreement with the Syrian side and not by military deployment in Syria.

General Bagheri also said that the regional people and countries do not welcome the U.S. presence in the region.

“The agreement will increase our determination for joint cooperation to confront the U.S. pressures,” Bagheri added.

General Ayyoub, for his part, said that if the U.S. could bring Iran, Syria and the resistance front to its knees, certainly it would not hesitate for a moment.

Ayyoub added that the cost of resistance is much less than surrendering.

Bagheri visited in Damascus at the top of a military delegation on Tuesday.

NA/PA