Iran, China defense ministers discuss military cooperation

TEHRAN, Apr. 27 (MNA) – The defense ministers of the Islamic Republic of Iran and China held a meeting on Friday in which they discussed boosting military and defense cooperation between the two countries.

Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani met and held talks with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun in Kazakhstan on Friday.

Appreciating the position of China regarding the recent regional developments, especially the country's condemnation of the Israeli attack on Iran's consulate in Damascus on April 1, Ashtiani stressed that the recent tensions in the region and the deplorable conditions in Gaza are the results of the US destabilizing actions in the region and Washington's support for the child-killing Zionist regime.

The Iranian defense minister also called for enhancing cooperation and convergence between Iran and China to solve regional and international security issues.

The Chinese defense minister, for his part, referred to the Israeli terrorist attack on the consular section of Iran's embassy in Damascus and said that the Israeli action violated international law and China supported Iran's legitimate right to respond to the Israeli attack.

The two sides also emphasized the need to boost the defense and military cooperation between Tehran and Beijing and called for establishing a ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani left Tehran for Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on Thursday to participate in the SCO meeting of defense ministers.