TEHERAN, September 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed Russia’s and Iran’s contribution to the settlement of the Syrian crisis.
On Friday, Putin met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to discuss issues of bilateral cooperation, including matters linked with the Iranian nuclear program.
"Bilateral relations are developing successfully practically in all spheres. But, naturally, of major importance is cooperation in the economic sphere. Much is to be done. But, I am sure we will discuss a number of international aspects, including those related to the Iranian nuclear program," Putin said at the beginning of the meeting.
Touching on the problem of the Syrian crisis, the Russian leader hailed both countries’ efforts towards settlement in that country. "After the terrorist threat is removed, naturally, issues of political settlement will come into the fore," he said.
Rouhani, in turn, noted that several years ago it seemed incredible that Iran and Russia would pool their efforts to resolve such a crisis as Syria’s. "And out joint efforts can serve as a lead for settling other disputes in this region. Despite the fact that everything that is happening in Syria are sad developments, our two nations are able to help not only the Syrian army and government, but also its people to cope with this situation," he said, adding that cooperation between the two countries in this region is in the interests of both the Syrian people and the entire world, as this region used to be a source of global threat.
"Our cooperation in other areas have been developing rapidly. I can say that the current relations between Russia and Iran have strategic character. Today’s level of trust between the two countries is unprecedented in their history," the Iranian leader stressed.