Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met separately with Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani, for the first time since the war in Syria began, some eight years ago. The Syrian leader’s office said in a statement that during his visit, President Assad thanked his hosts for the vast support provided to his regime and agreed “to continue cooperation (with Iran) at all levels for the interests of the two friendly nations.”
The statement added that “both sides expressed their satisfaction with the strategic levels reached between the two countries in all fields.” It is important to note that since the start of the Syria conflict, President Assad has travelled abroad on only three occasions, these include two visits to Moscow, and his present trip to Tehran.