Iran, Russia Stress Political Solution to Crises in Syria, Yemen

TEHRAN- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and Russian President’s Special Envoy in Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov in a telephone conversation on Wednesday renewed their countries’ support for a political solution to the crises in Syria and Yemen.

During the phone conversation, Amir Abdollahian and Bogdanov underlined that continuation of military and security approaches to the regional crises will make the situation more complicated, the Iranian Fars News Agency reported.

The Iranian and Russian officials also discussed the latest regional situation, especially Syria and the visit of the UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

 Amir Abdollahian reiterated Iran’s support for a political solution in Syria and national dialogue.

The two sides also voiced support for the UN efforts vis-à-vis the political crisis in Syria, and warned against the threat of terrorist attacks in Syria and Yemen.

In a relevant development late December, Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Mehdi Sanayee in a meeting with Bogdanov in Moscow discussed the regional crises, specially Syria, and ways to harness extremism in the region.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its efforts to help to the peaceful settlement of the crisis in Syria,” Sanayee said.

The Iranian envoy pointed to the rising activities of the terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq, and said “Iran has always cautioned the regional actors to take action to promptly resolve the problem of extremism and Takfirism through cooperation of all the regional countries and continuation of talks among different sides because otherwise it will result in rising inhumane acts and irreparable damages.”

Bogdanov, for his part, underlined the importance of consultations between Iran and Syria on the Middle East, especially Syria, and said, “There is no solution to resolve the Syrian crisis other than holding political dialogue between the Damascus government and the opposition groups.”

H.M