The President of Syria and Iran's Minister of Roads and Urban Development discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation in the field of transportation and urban development.

Iran PressMiddle East: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday stressed the need for further promoting economic ties with Iran, as he hosted the Islamic Republic’s Minister of Road and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash and his accompanying delegation in the capital Damascus.

Bashar al-Assad and the Iranian minister discussed “the new aspects of economic cooperation” between the two countries and means to develop relations in trade, investment and energy fields, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.

“Translating depth of the political relation between Syria and Iran into a similar status in the economic domain is an essential issue, as governments in both countries have to seek best means to increase their growth,” Syrian president said.

The Iranian minister, on his part, delivered a message from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi that voiced support for further expansion of economic relations between the two countries.

Bazrpash also spoke about a number of economic fields, including investment, electricity and energy, which Iranian-Syrian specialized committees will begin working on.

Iran and Syria have maintained strong political relations over the past years, as Tehran has supported Damascus in its war against foreign-backed militancy that broke out in the Arab country back in 2011.

Iran has also voiced strong support for the reconstruction efforts that the Syrian government has taken over the past couple of years following its military achievements to defeat militant and terrorist groups, and drive them out of regions across Syria. 219