Syria and Iran issued a joint statement on Friday following Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Damascus praising China for its latest mediation efforts in the region.
The joint statement following Raisi’s meeting with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad hailed the China-brokered agreement in March to resume diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The deal constituted a “significant step towards positive developments that are in the interest of the stability of the Middle East,” it read. Both countries have strong bilateral relations with Beijing but hostilities with Washington.
The statement capped a historic visit for Raisi to Damascus, the first by Iranian president since 2010, in which Syria and Iran signed several cooperation agreements. Here is a recap of Raisi’s visit to Syria and its aftermath:
Day 1
Raisi arrived in Damascus Wednesday with a delegation of defense, energy, finance and other officials and received a state welcome. He met Assad later that day. Syria and Iran signed cooperation agreements involving the following sectors, according to state media in both countries:
- agriculture
- oil
- transportation and flights
- free trade zones
- communications
- information technology
- Islamic pilgrimages
- banking
- technical and engineering services
Day 2
On Thursday, Raisi met with Syrian businesspeople in Damascus to promote trade between Syria and Iran.
“We need a step forward in this field to expand relations,” said Raisi, according to Syria’s official news outlet SANA.
Trade between Syria and Iran is on the rise. During the last Persian calendar year ending in March of this year, Iranian exports grew 11.4%, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency. In October of last year, Iran and Syria agreed to lower tariffs per their free trade agreement.
Raisi also met with leaders of the Palestinian armed groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Damascus on Thursday and reportedly assured them of Iran’s continuing support.
Raisi likewise met with unidentified religious scholars on Thursday as well as Syria’s Minister of Religious Endowments Mohammad Abdul-Sattar al-Sayyed. The scholars reiterated their “united position against the US and Israeli terrorism,” according to SANA.
Syrian Finance Minister Kinan Yaghi also met Thursday with his Iranian counterpart Ehsan Khandozi. The two discussed ways to enhance cooperation regarding insurance, banking, customs, taxes and other fees, per SANA.
Joint statement
A statement was issued on Friday after Raisi’s trip ended and was carried by Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency and SANA. In it, the two countries praised their efforts to boost cooperation and also mentioned reconstruction projects in Syria.
Syria and Iran condemned the “illegal presence of military forces” in Syria, without naming specific entities. It was a likely reference to US military forces in northeast Syria that are supporting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces fight the Islamic State. It could also refer to Turkish-backed Syrian rebel groups in northern Syria.
Unsurprisingly, the two countries “strongly condemned the aggression of the Zionist regime on the Syrian Arab Republic” in a reference to suspected Israeli military strikes on Syrian and Iranian military targets in Syria. Most recently, suspected Israeli airstrikes killed a Syrian soldier in Aleppo on Monday.
Syria and Iran condemned US and European Union sanctions on their countries, calling the measures “coercive, unilateral and illegitimate actions.”
The statement also referenced recent developments in the Middle East, specifically Syria’s improving relations with the Arab world and the Saudi-Iran deal mediated by China.
“The two sides have welcomed the positive political developments in the region, especially the constructive relationship between the Syrian Arab Republic and the Arab countries as well as the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia that was made under the supervision of China,” read the statement.
The Iran-Saudi deal is a sign of China’s growing influence in the Middle East as well as the the willingness of the People’s Republic to engage in regional politics, Karen E. Young wrote in a memo for Al-Monitor PRO on Tuesday.
Syria’s efforts to normalize relations with governments in the Arab world has been gaining momentum. On Monday, Jordan hosted Arab diplomats for a meeting on Syria’s return to the Arab League. On Sunday, the Arab League will host an emergency meeting in Cairo on the issue.
Raisi invited Assad to visit Iran, according to the statement.
