TEHRAN - Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, has assured his Syrian counterpart that Tehran will keep supporting the Damascus government in the fight against terrorism in the efforts to guarantee security and stability across Syria.

In a telephone conversation on Friday with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, the top Iranian diplomat emphasized that the Islamic Republic will continue to support Syria in various fields, notably in combatting terrorism.

Zarif also asserted the need for efforts to restore security and stability to all Syrian territories and achieve a solution that would preserves the interests, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria, Tasnim reported.

For his part, Mekdad called for enhancement of relations with Iran in various fields, particularly economic cooperation. He also thanked Iran for supporting the Syrian people in reducing the effects of unilateral economic sanctions.

The two foreign ministers also exchanged views about the results of the recent meetings within the framework of the Astana peace format held recently in Russia’s Sochi, stressing the need for the Western parties to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions on Syria and the final communiqué of the Astana meetings, SANA reported.

Zarif and Mekdad also discussed Syria’s Constitutional Committee and the results of its latest meeting in Geneva, where the participants affirmed that the committee should operate under the leadership and ownership of the Syrian people without any foreign interference.

In remarks on Feb. 22, Ali Asghar Khaji, the senior assistant to Zarif, expressed hope that the visit by UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria Geir Otto Pedersen to Damascus would help promote Syrian-Syrian talks and the 6th meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in the near future, IRNA reported.

Speaking through video-conferencing with Italian Foreign Ministry Special Envoy for Syria Paolo Dionisi, Khaji referred to the Astana initiative in Sochi saying that different aspects of the Syrian crisis were discussed in the meeting and participants stressed political solution to the crisis, humanitarian aid to Syrians, and countering terrorism.

Guarantors of the Astana format – Iran, Russia, and Turkey – issued a statement to support the political solutions and Syrian Constitutional Committee, he said.

Also in a statement issued on February 17 in Sochi, Iran, Russia and Turkey condemned Israel for its continuing military attacks in Syria. It said the attacks is undermining Syria’s sovereignty and threatening the regional stability.

"Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, as the Astana format guarantor states, ... condemned Israel's continuing military attacks in Syria, which violate international law and international humanitarian law, which undermine the sovereignty of Syria and neighboring nations, and which threaten stability and safety in the region, and called for ceasing the attacks," the communique read, according to Sputnik.

EE/PA