Speaking alongside the Iranian counterpart in Tehran in a joint press conference on Monday afternoon, the Syrian foreign minister pointed to his meeting with the Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi as well as his meeting with Hossein Amir-Abdollahian this morning and described Syria-Iran relations as "privileged" and "strategic".
"The Middle East should not be a place to support terrorism that is tearing our societies apart," Mekdad said.
"We share the goals that the Islamic Republic of Iran has stated about Afghanistan, such as the formation of an inclusive national government that includes all Afghan groups, and the importance of continuing the fight against terrorism and establishing friendly and normal relations with Afghanistan's neighbors," the Syrian diplomat said on the developments in Afghanistan and after saying that the United States transferred thousands of terrorists to the country.
"Economic relations with Iran were the focus of the talks, and we talked about them during the meeting with Mr. Raeisi and the Iranian Foreign Minister, and we hope that economic relations between Iran and Syria will continue and deepen, not only in a bilateral form but also in a collective format that entails the countries of the region," he said.
Mekdad further supported Iran's peaceful nuclear program and said that the Iranian new government's presence in the Vienna talks revealed the falseness of the Israeli regime's accusations against the Iranian nuclear program.
"Israel's continued attacks on Syria cannot go unanswered. We are responding to these attacks every time and every day, and the terrorists and their supporters who invaded Syria were the enemies of Syria. They armed and supported the terrorists, and Israel is still continuing their path today," the Syrian foreign minister underscored.
"Maybe today's response is different from that of tomorrow and today's response is different from yesterday's," he added.
He also warned the Israeli regime not to underestimate Syria's military capabilities to respond to the attacks.
Mekdad went on to condemn the inhuman US and western powers' sanctions against Syria and Iran and said that "by insisting on these sanctions, the United States and the West are violating all the values they claim, and we call for the lifting of these sanctions as soon as possible."
At the end of his remarks, the top Syrian diplomat said, "Syria is paying special attention to strengthening trade relations with Iran... We welcome any attempt to end the sanctions. We welcome any participation with Iran in Syria."
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