Iran, Russia Discuss Cooperation against Terrorism

In a meeting between visiting Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani and Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev in Moscow on Tuesday, the two sides discussed mutual cooperation in fighting terrorism and promoting security in the Middle East.

In the meeting, the two sides reviewed the current trend of Tehran-Moscow cooperation in fighting terrorism and extremism as well as the need to continue mutual consultations and exchanging views between the security, political and military apparatuses of the two countries in order to reinforce the campaign against terrorism in Syria, Iraq and other areas in the region gripped by security crises.

During the talks, Shamkhani elaborated on the new military and security situation associated with the Syria crisis as well as the destructive consequences of illegal military intervention by some countries which has further complicated the current situation and strengthened the Takfiri terrorism front.

“The back-to-back military and political breakthroughs by the real anti-terror coalition which have brought about a lasting ceasefire and reduced violence and bloodshed in Syria are the key reasons behind stepped-up organized efforts by supporters of Takfiri [radical] terrorism to maintain the terrorists’ morale and operational capability,” said the Iranian official.

He said Washington’s not welcoming a proposal by Iran and Russian to launch an independent and unbiased probe into claims that Syria used chemical weapons in Khan Shaykhun shows the US is seeking a pretext for illegal military intervention in Syria.

“Countries at the forefront of the real campaign against terrorism should continue supporting the Syrian army and popular forces and also draw on political initiatives in order to expedite the trend of intra-Syrian talks and contain the destructive actions of supporters of Takfiri terrorism in Syria,” Shamkhani noted.

Patrushev, for his part, once again expressed his congratulations on the re-election of Hassan Rouhani as Iran’s president, and thanked Shamkhani for having accepted Russia’s invitation to attend a meeting of secretaries of national security councils. He said such meetings are undoubtedly a safe way to replace militarism and violence with dialog.

He expressed satisfaction over the promotion of mutual relations between Tehran and Moscow on different fronts.

He also described as positive the close and effective cooperation between Iran and Russia in fighting terrorism, and added this cooperation will help defuse tension and restore lasting stability to Syria.