Iran-Russia cooperation over Syria fruitful: Official

“Iran-Russia regional cooperation over Syria has yielded positive results,” said Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Velayati, who is in Russia as the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s special envoy, said that Iran has helped the Syrian nation and government in the battle against terrorists.

The senior official also described as “very fruitful” Tehran-Moscow cooperation in providing military aid to Damascus against terrorists.

Iran-Russia cooperation over Syria can set a good example, paving the way for trilateral and multilateral cooperation involving Tehran, Moscow and other countries where Iran has influence, from Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen to Central Asia and the Caucasus, he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Velayati met and held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, where he submitted Rouhani’s message to the Russian leader.

In the meeting, Velayati also conferred with Putin on bilateral political and economic ties.

Since March 2011, Syria has been grappling with deadly violence fueled by foreign-backed Takfiri terror groups.

The crisis has led to the deaths of more than 200,000 people so far, according to reports. New figures show that over 76,000 people lost their lives in Syria last year alone.