In a meeting with Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France Christian Masset in Tehran on Monday, Amir Abdollahian discussed the latest developments in the world and the Middle East, including the more than five-year-old conflict in Syria.
“Since the beginning (of the Syrian war), some players have followed a military approach,” he said, adding that the countries supported terrorists to serve their own interests.
The Iranian deputy minister went on to say that the Islamic Republic, however, has always insisted on a political resolution of the crisis and supported political reforms and provided humanitarian assistance to the Arab country’s people.
The French diplomat, for his part, emphasized that Paris and Tehran have common stances on the Syria war, adding that the need for fighting terrorism and a democratic process in the Arab country are among the stances the two countries share.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.
According to a new report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
In the meantime, Iran has remained a close ally of Syria and supports its legitimate government in the face of foreign-backed militancy.
In June 2015, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hailed the resistance of the Syrian government and people against foreign-backed terrorist groups in the Arab country, saying that Tehran is determined to side with Damascus to the end of the crisis.