Ahmadinejad, Medvedev oppose foreign interference in Syria

TEHRAN, Feb. 25 (MNA) – During a phone conversation on February 22, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev emphasized that the crisis engulfing Syria should be defused without foreign intervention. Ahmadinejad and Medvedev emphasized that a peaceful solution should be worked out to the Syrian issue and that certain countries’ efforts to plunge the Arab country into turmoil pose a threat to regional peace and security. They said that reforms in Syria should be implemented by the Syrians themselves and that Iran and Russia should make more efforts to prevent outsiders from dragging Syria into a civil war. Ahmadinejad said that Tehran and Moscow should use their close relations to help resolve the situation. Medvedev, according to a translation of his comments, stated that Syria’s national sovereignty should be respected, adding that Iran and Russia can take effective steps to help alleviate the crisis. The Iranian and Russian presidents also called for the continuation of consultations between the two countries on developments in regional countries, particularly in Syria.