TEHRAN — Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is scheduled to meet Syrian President Bashar al Assad in Damascus on Monday.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi, Zarif is slated to make a one-day trip to Syria to meet President Assad and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem.

Zarif and the Syrian authorities are set to talk about bilateral ties, regional developments, the latest political situation in Syria, and the country’s fight against terrorism, Mousavi added.

Iran is a key ally of Syria. The Islamic Republic has been providing military advisory to Damascus in its anti-terror campaign.

Iranian officials have made it clear that Tehran would stand by Syria in the reconstruction projects of the war-stricken country.

Back in April 2019, Zarif met Assad in a trip to Damascus, where the two exchanged views on bilateral and regional ties.

Zarif’s April trip took place almost two months after Assad’s unannounced visit to Tehran, during which he met Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani, with Zarif absent at the meetings.

Shortly after Assad’s meetings in Tehran, Zarif announced his resignation in an Instagram post. His not knowing about the visit was speculated as being the reason.

Two days later, however, Rouhani rejected Zarif’s resignation, saying it was contrary to the country’s interests. On the same day, Assad officially invited the Iranian foreign minister to visit Syria. Zarif later announced that he will visit Syria soon.

MH/PA