DAMASCUS — Syria and key ally Iran on Saturday agreed to renew an economic strategic agreement between the two countries as Damascus prepares to welcome Iran’s president in the near future.
Since the 2011 Syrian uprising turned into civil war, Tehran has dispatched thousands of Iranian-backed fighters to help Syrian President Bashar Assad stay in power amid fighting that has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and displaced millions.
Iran has also been a key economic lifeline for Syria, providing billions of dollars worth of fuel and lines of credit to help Damascus offset crippling Western-led sanctions. The Syrian economy in both government- and opposition-held areas has hit an all-time low over the past decade, with rising inflation, a currency collapse and rampant power outages.
Syria and Iran signed nearly a dozen economic deals in 2019 as part of the long-term strategic economic deal to strengthen their trade ties.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who met with Assad and his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Damascus, did not set a date on where or when the signing of the extension will take place.
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“Tehran and Damascus will continue to cooperate on all matters, especially on energy,” Amir-Abdollahian said at a press conference after the meetings.
Mekdad reiterated similar sentiments, adding that developments in the “coming days” will further strengthen them.
“We have been looking for ways to expand economic and trade ties and improve cooperation to counter the illegal economic coercive measures imposed by the West on both countries,” Mekdad said.
Israel is concerned about Iran’s influence in Syria and has conducted hundreds of airstrikes in government-controlled parts of the country in recent years.
Israel rarely recognizes or discusses such operations, but has said it is targeting bases of Iran-aligned terrorist groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has provided thousands of fighters in support of Assad’s forces.
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