Syrian Lawmaker: Syrian Army in Constant Coordination with Iran, Russia

TEHRAN – The Syrian Arab army is steadily coordinating its anti-terror operations with the allies, including Iran and Russia, Syrian lawmaker Mohanad al-Haj has stressed.

While plans for conducting operations in the field are coordinated among the military commanders, the strategic roadmap to cooperation is decided by the political leaders, the MP told Tasnim news agency.

As regards the recent meeting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi, the lawmaker said their talks revolved around political and military issues.

 He added the talks were not limited to (a committee tasked with drafting) the Syrian constitution, but also included an assessment of the military conditions in Syria.

The meeting between Assad and Putin was also aimed at setting priorities of the next stage, Haj explained, saying that given the Russian president’s comments about Kalibr missiles and the destroyers stationed in east of the Mediterranean, those priorities seem to relate to the city of Idlib. 

During the two leaders’ meeting Putin congratulated President Assad on the start of the holy month of Ramadan and praised the “major success of the Syrian Government Army in the struggle against terrorist units,” describing recent military efforts as “important steps toward the further consolidation of the legitimate government.”

In the meantime, Iran has remained a close ally of Syria and supported its legitimate government in the face of foreign-backed terrorism.

H.M