TEHRAN, (ST)_ Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi stressed that crisis continues in Syria as a result of external support to the armed terrorist groups, noting that the situation in Syria has dangerous repercussions on the region.
In a meeting with his Indian counterpart Salman Khurshid in Tehran on Saturday, Salehi said that extremism and terrorism pose a threat to the region and the world, stressing that Iran is seeking to help resolve the crisis through the cessation of violence and resorting to political dialogues, in the context of the Non-Aligned Movement.
For his part, the Indian Foreign Minister stressed the need to halt violence in Syria and the Syrian people to decide their own destiny, pointing out that the situation in Syria have serious effects on the countries of the region.
The two sides stressed the importance of consultation and cooperation between the two countries at regional and international levels with regard to developments in the region, especially in Syria and Afghanistan, stressing continued consultation to solve problems through dialogue and rejection of extremism and foreign interference in the internal affairs of other countries
The two countries signed four memorandums of understanding for joint cooperation in conclusion of the meeting of the of the two countries Joint Commission held under the chairmanship of the Iranian foreign minister and his Indian counterpart.
In another context, Salehi called on international organizations and bodies to condemn the demolition of the shrine of Prophet Muhammad companion Hajer bin Oday by armed terrorist groups in Syria.
This was expressed in separate messages Salehi sent to each of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova. ”
The Iranian state news agency IRNA, said that Salehi condemned in the messages the inhuman and immoral acts of the armed terrorist groups and called on international organizations and institutions to take practical actions to preserve the sanctity of this Sharif shrine, stressing the need to respect holy sites of monotheistic religions in the world.
T. Fateh