Syria has weathered the storm: Iranian deputy FM

TEHRAN, April 10 (MNA) – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that the Syrian government has successfully steered the country through the crisis. Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks during a meeting with Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Oman’s minister responsible for foreign affairs, in Muscat on Monday. “Plots and conspiracies against Syria and the resistance front resulted in failure, and the country successfully went through the crisis,” Amir-Abdollahian said. The Iranian deputy foreign minister also stated that the Islamic Republic will continue to support the reforms that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has initiated and believes that the future belongs to the Syrian people and the resistance movement. Elsewhere in his remarks, he commented on the issues related to the Strait of Hormuz and said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has always taken steps toward good, welfare, and stability in the region and regards indigenous and collective participation in efforts to maintain lasting security in the Persian Gulf as a necessary issue given the importance of the Strait of Hormuz. However, certain sides have not paid due attention to this issue and are making efforts to create crisis in the region through their hasty and unwise measures.” On the situation in Bahrain, Amir-Abdollahian stated, “A hasty and ill-considered military measure robs the region’s well-wishers of the opportunity to (achieve) a political solution, and… the violation of human rights and crackdown in Bahrain should be stopped, otherwise, the situation will get out of hand,” and this will only serve the interests of the enemies. He also spoke about the situation on the ground in Yemen and said, “Although the initiative of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council is regarded as a step forward, it was not sufficient. And the Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its concern about the continuation of the killing of the Yemeni Muslim people and the violation of human rights in the country.” The Omani foreign minister said that Iran has an important status in the Persian Gulf region and is keen to cement ties with Tehran. He also thanked the Islamic Republic for its efforts to promote peace and stability in the region and to help resolve the crises in Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen.