Deputy FM: Political Solution Only Way to End Syrian Crisis

(FNA)- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian once again renewed Tehran’s support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis, reiterating that unrests in the Muslim country cannot be soothed through military means.

Addressing a meeting with 25 visiting Tunisian journalists in Tehran on Wednesday, the Iranian deputy foreign minister blasted the foreign countries for their intervention in Syria’s internal affairs, and said, “The political solution is the only way to end the Syrian crisis.”

Iranian officials have repeatedly underlined that Tehran is in favor of negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition groups to create stability in the Middle Eastern country.

Last November, Iran hosted a meeting between the representatives of the Syrian government and opposition to encourage them to start talks to find a political solution to their problems. The National Dialogue Conference kicked off work in Tehran mid November with the motto of 'No to Violence, Yes to Democracy". The meeting brought together almost 200 representatives of various Syrian ethnicities, political groups, minorities, the opposition, and state officials.

Elsewhere in the meeting, the Iranian deputy foreign minister pointed to the current status in the Iran-Tunisia relations, and said, “The relations between the two countries of Iran and Tunisia is a conspicuous example of Iran’s relations with countries of North Africa, specially after vast wave of political developments in recent years in the region.”

Amir Abdollahian also pointed to the two countries’ economic, political and cultural relations, and said that Iranian and Tunisian officials are determined to further expand the relations between the two Muslim states.
Last week, the Iranian parliament speaker was in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, at the head of a legislative delegation at the invitation of his Tunisian counterpart to discuss mutual cooperation with the African country’s senior officials and also take part in a ceremony to celebrate the adoption of the first post-revolution constitution there.

Ahead of his trip, Larijani said Tunisia is among the “pioneering countries in regional revolutions,” adding that the African state has made great efforts to draft a new constitution and form a democratic government.

The Iranian lawmaker underlined that Tehran has voiced support for the Tunisian revolution.

The revolution in Tunisia led to the ouster of the country’s Western-backed dictator Zine El Abidine Bin Ali in January 2011.

Larijani added that Iran and Tunisia enjoy a good level of political relations, expressing hope that his trip to the African country would pave the way for the enhancement of Tehran-Tunis trade ties.

On January 16, Tunisia’s National Constituent Assembly approved the country’s new constitution with an overwhelming majority. Bin Jafar said the new constitution was the Tunisian nation’s “dream.”

On January 28, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif praised Tunisia’s adoption of a constitution in a meeting with the country’s new Ambassador to Tehran Ghazi Bin Saleh. He wished success for the new Tunisian government and voiced Tehran’s readiness to develop ties with Tunis.