Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has praised the Islamic Republic of Iran’s support for his regime, claiming that it has been a cornerstone in his regime’s fight against terrorism. Assad made his comments on Tuesday after a meeting in Damascus with the Iranian supreme leader’s Senior Adviser for Foreign Affairs, Ali Akbar Velayati. Also attending were the Syrian Ambassador to Tehran, Adnan Mahmoud, and the Iranian Ambassador in Damascus, Mohammad Reza Shibani.
According to Iran’s Fars news agency, Assad likened Tehran’s support to that of “regional countries like Saudi Arabia and Turkey” which, he claimed, “support terrorists who commit atrocities against the people of Syria.”
Syria’s SANA news agency reported that the head of the Committee for Development of Iranian-Syrian Economic Relations, Rostam Ghasemi, informed Assad that Tehran has provided a loan worth billions of US dollars to support economic development in his country.