Syrian President Bashar Assad (right) and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi shakes hands after signing a cooperation agreement at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, May 3, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)
DAMASCUS – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and visiting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi signed on Wednesday memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for "long-term and comprehensive cooperation" in various fields, Syria's state news agency SANA reported.
Following the signing of the MoUs, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was quoted as saying that the talks with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had centered largely on economic issues
The MoUs cover cooperation in the fields of oil, communications, civil aviation, railways, and agriculture, among others.
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Following the signing of the MoUs, Assad was quoted as saying that the talks with Raisi had centered largely on economic issues. He noted that the projects under discussion would give the bilateral relations a strong boost by setting up mechanisms for trade exchange and investment to mitigate the impact of the Western sanctions.
He pointed out that both countries would "benefit from the change in the economic map of the world and the gradual shift of balance towards the East, which would liberate international economies from the domination of the West and, as a result, the blockade (Western nations' economic sanctions) would gradually lose its effects."
For his part, Raisi said he and Assad discussed the development of bilateral relations in all domains, stressing that "we are determined to develop the relations with all regional countries."
Earlier in the day, an official reception ceremony was held upon the arrival of Raisi and his ministerial delegation at the al-Sha'ab presidential palace in Damascus.
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Raisi, who is the first Iranian president to visit Syria after the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011, lauded Syria's victory in emerging from a 12-year conflict.
"Syria's government and people have gone through tremendous hardships, and today we can say that you have weathered and overcome all these problems and achieved victory despite the threats and sanctions imposed against you," Raisi told Assad at the palace.
During the two-day official visit, the Iranian president will hold extensive political and economic talks with Assad, according to SANA.