Iranian and Syrian FMs demands end to US military presence in Syria

Amirabdollahian was speaking in a press briefing with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Tehran on Monday.

He said the presence of foreign troops in Syria will be of no help to them, adding that military occupation won’t solve anything.

In other remarks, Amirabdollahian spoke about economic ties between Tehran and Damascus. He said the two countries have started implementing agreements signed during the visit of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Syria.

Amirabdollahian said the agreements included the formation of a joint insurance company, the use of the national currencies of Iran and Syria in bilateral transactions and boosting cooperation between the private sectors of Iran and Syria.

The Iranian foreign minister added that Iran and Syria will convene a session of their economic commission headed by the roads and urban development ministers of the two sides.

The Syrian foreign minister also spoke about Raisi’s visit to Damascus. He said the trip was not exclusively about economy.

Mekdad noted that the Iranian president and his Syrian counterpart discussed political issues as well as regional and international cooperation between Iran and Syria.

Mekdad condemned the US military presence in his country, saying the self-styled defenders of human rights are only seeking to plunder the natural resources of regional countries.

Mekdad added that the US must immediately stop stealing Syria’s and Iraq’s oil and wealth.

He said the US has plundered billions of dollars in Syrian wealth and that any increase in the number of US troops in Syria would be an escalation of occupation and must be ended.

Mekdad stressed that the US claims it’s in Syria to fight Daesh terrorists while Syria itself along with its allies are capable of doing that.