Iran’s Raisi hails historic visit to Syria as ‘turning point’ in bilateral ties

Upon arrival home on Friday morning, Raisi said he made the visit to Syria in an expression of praise for the nation’s 12-year-long resistance against enemy conspiracies with the support of the Islamic Republic.

He described the trip as a “turning point” in the two countries’ economic, political and security cooperation.

“Today, after 12 years of resistance, the change in conditions of the people of Syria and the region is quite evident,” said Raisi, adding that the two states have now placed trade and economic cooperation high on agenda, although constant security ties are still significant.

Raisi highlighted the great potentials of Iran and Syria for economic cooperation and said his talks with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria mainly focused on trade-related issues.

“Today, the people of Syria and the region believe that the Islamic Republic of Iran is a strong pillar and a strong tree with deep roots in the ground and high branches in the sky that they can lean on,” he said.

The Iranian president thanked the Syrian people and government for their hospitality and said, “I hope my colleagues and Syrian authorities will do their utmost to accelerate the implementation of the agreements reached so that the outcome will come to light in both countries sooner.”