Iran’s president: Future of region determined by resistance of nation, not negotiating table

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi says the future course of developments in the West Asia region, especially with regard to Palestine, will be determined by resistance of nations, not negotiating tables.

“What determines the future of the region and Palestine are not negotiation tables and such agreements as the Oslo [Accords], and Camp David and the [so-called] Deal of the Century, but it is the resistance of nations that determines the new regional order,” Iran’s president said in a Sunday meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, in Tehran.

"What we are witnessing today across West Asia is the fulfillment of a prediction by Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei] that resistance of nations against the oppressors and aggressors will bear fruit."

Raeisi then laid stress on the need for all countries to respect Syria's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying, "Iran stood by the Syrian people and government when some Arab and non-Arab leaders in the region were betting on the time of the fall of the Syrian government."

He said the battle fought by Syria's army and allied popular forces, along with the Islamic resistance combatants, especially the heroic Hezbollah [resistance movement], played a leading role in uprooting the military power of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and other terrorist groups, which posed a threat to security of the entire region.

The Iranian president expressed regret that important parts of the Syrian territory are still occupied by the foreign forces, adding the entire Syria must be liberated from foreign occupiers.

"This occupation [of Syrian territories] should not be subject to the passage of time, and the occupying forces and their mercenaries must be expelled," Raeisi pointed out.

Referring to Israel's acts of aggression, the Iranian chief executive said, "The Zionist regime's threats in the region should be addressed by strengthening and diversifying deterrence equations."

Elsewhere in his remarks, Raeisi stressed the importance of promoting cooperation and coordination between Tehran and Damascus, indicating Iran's serious determination and willingness to improve relations with Syria, particularly in the fields of economy and trade.

"This issue is one of the serious priorities of the [new Iranian] administration," he said.

Assad, for his part, declared his country’s readiness to expand cooperation with Iran in political, security and economic fields.

Syria’s president also highlighted Iran’s role in fighting terrorism across the region, saying, “During years of resistance against and confrontation with the Western and Takfiri aggression [against Syria], Iran was the only country that stood by us from the very beginning.”

Assad described Iran’s relations with Syria as strategic, noting that after a decade of war against the resistance front, regional developments have proven that resistance is effective and fruitful.

Stressing that the US is losing its role in the region, the Syrian president said, “We have proven that through close cooperation among regional countries, it is possible to triumph over the United States and [other] hegemonic powers that claim to be superpowers.”

Before his meeting with Raeisi, Assad met with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, during which Ayatollah Khamenei said despite the devastation done to Syria by years-long war, the country is now looked upon as a major power.

“Today, Syria is not the same Syria that it was before the war, although the devastation [of war] was not there at that time, but now Syria enjoys a higher degree of respect and credit and all countries look upon it as a power,” the Leader said, referring to major achievements of Syria in both political and military arenas.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that Syrian president and its nation are now honored by all regional nations, adding, “Some leaders of countries that are neighbors to us and you, have relations with the leaders of the Zionist regime and drink coffee together. However, people of the same countries pour into the streets on [International] Quds Day and chant anti-Zionism slogans and this is the current reality of the region.”

According to Iran's Nour News news agency, following his important talks in Tehran on Sunday, the Syrian leader left for Damascus.

Assad paid his first visit to Tehran in February 2019, after a tripartite Iran-Russia-Syria coalition managed to suppress Takfiri terrorists and restore partial peace to the Arab country.

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