Mehr News Agency – The cooperation between Iran, Iraq and Syria to combat terrorism is a natural matter, the Syrian Defense Minister General Ali Abdullah Ayoub said on Monday.
Making the remarks after his meeting with Chief of General Staff of Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri and the Iraqi Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Othman Al Ghanmi, the Syrian minister expressed satisfaction about the achievements of this meeting, adding that the obtained results will fortify trilateral cooperation against challenges and threats in future.
Any presence in the Syrian territory without the official invitation of the Syrian government is illegal and it is Syria’s right to defend its national security, Abdullah Ayoub underlined.
He also stressed that Syria does not compromise when it comes to its right to defend its sovereignty, and that it will regain control over every inch of its territory, either through reconciliations or military force, adding that Idleb is no exception, as it is one of the four de-escalation zones which were specified, while the other three are back under the control of the Syrian state, and the same will happen to Idleb, according to SANA.
For his part, Bagheri voiced his country’s readiness to help fight terrorism, because terrorists pose a threat to Iran as well. He emphasized the necessity of respecting the Syrian state’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity, stressing that no country should enter it illegally.
In turn, al-Ghanimi said that the security of the borders between Syria and Iraq is very important, and it is controlled by the Iraqi security forces and the Syrian Arab Army, pointing out to the high level of coordination with the Syrian Arab Army regarding fighting ISIL terrorists.
He said that security of Iraq is an integral part of Syria’s security, and coordination will continue through the information center which was established. Al-Ghanimi also said the coming days will witness opening the borders crossing between Syria and Iraq.
