Al-Moallem during meetings in New York: Syria’s priority is combating terrorism

New York, SANA-Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem met Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro who conveyed his greetings to President Bashar al-Assad and affirmed his country’s solidarity with Syria and its legitimate leadership against terrorism and the conspiracy to which it is exposed.

“I will send Venezuelan Foreign Minister to Damascus soon to express our solidarity with Syria and discuss prospects of bilateral cooperation and relay a message of amity to the Syrian people,” President Maduro told al-Moallem during a meeting which was held on the sidelines of the 70^th session of the UN General assembly in New York.

Al-Moallem, for his part, affirmed Syria’s appreciation for Venezuela’s stances in support of Syria against terrorist organizations, pointing out to the importance of deepening coordination at international forums, particularly as the two countries face the US hegemony projects.

Iraqi Foreign Minister

Foreign Minister al-Moallem also met his Iraqi Counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari with the two officials discussing the latest developments in the region, particularly regarding combating terrorism.

The two sides appreciated the mechanism of cooperation and information exchange which has been lately adopted, bringing together Syria, Iraq, Russia and Iran in a step that helps coordinate stances of the four countries in combating terrorism.

Talks during the meeting also dealt with the efforts being exerted to find a political solution to the crisis, giving a priority to combating terrorism.

Sudanese Foreign Minister

In a third meeting, al-Moallem briefed his Sudanese counterpart Abdul-Aziz Ghandour on the terrorist acts in Syria by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organizations, backed by some regional countries.

During the meeting, al-Moallem stressed that combating terrorism is priority for the Syrian government as it could pave the way for reaching a political solution to the crisis in Syria and meet aspirations of the Syrian people.

Sudanese Foreign Minister, for his part, expressed his country’s solidarity with Syria, particularly in light of the mounting danger of terrorism Syria is suffering from.

Chinese Foreign Minister

Al-Moallem also discussed with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi the situation in the region, especially in Syria.

During the meeting, Minister al-Moallem expressed Syria’s appreciation for the Chinese stances which support Syria at international forums, affirming the need for deepening bilateral cooperation, particularly as Syria approaches a reconstruction process.

Chinese Foreign Minister, for his part, expressed his country’s continued political support to the Syrian stance at UN Security Council, particularly Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Mazen Eyon