Iran Duty-Bound to Help Iraq, Syria in War on Terrorism: Velayati
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Tehran considers it a duty to assist Iraq and Syria in the fight against terrorism, since that would ensure security in the whole region and in Iran consequently, Head of the Strategic Research Center of Iran's Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati said.
"Fighting terrorism in Syria and Iraq is fighting terrorism in the whole region, and if we seek security in Iran, the entire region will have to be secure," Velayati told UN Special Representative for Iraq Jan Kubis, in a meeting in Tehran on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Velayati said he has reminded the UN envoy that Iran welcomes "any international effort that contributes to the Iraqi nation's solidarity, counter-terrorism, peace and security for the Iraqi nation, unity among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds and establishment of an independent Iraq."
According to Velayati, Kubis has hailed Iran's stances towards Iraq, quoting Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi as saying that Baghdad welcomes Tehran's continued support for the Arab country.
"I also emphasized (in meeting with Kubis) that without the Iranian government's assistance to the governments and nations of Syria and Iraq, countering terrorists was not an easy job," the Iranian official, who is also an adviser to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, noted.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011. According to the United Nations, more than 220,000 people have been killed and one million wounded during the conflict.
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group controls a territory covering areas between Syria and Iraq.
In the meantime, Iran has remained a close ally of Syria and Iraq, supporting them in the face of foreign-backed militancy.
