Iran and Russia, despite being friendly nations and agreeing that it is up to the Syrian people to determine the country's fate, have differences in their strategies with regard to the conflict settlement in the Arab republic
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th June, 2019) Iran and Russia, despite being friendly nations and agreeing that it is up to the Syrian people to determine the country's fate, have differences in their strategies with regard to the conflict settlement in the Arab republic, which, however, do not prevent them from cooperating on major issues, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Sputnik in an interview.
"It is quite natural that [our] political stances cannot coincide 100 percent. Russia's strategy in Syria is one thing, the one of Iran is another. But I believe that we can cooperate well on major issues and try to make it so that the will of the Syrian people prevails and no one interferes and imposes anything on the Syrian people," Ahmadinejad said, when asked to comment on reported differences between the two nations in connection with the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
According to Ahmadinejad, to not allow external forces to break the Syrian statehood and sow further discord within the nation were a "sacred goal," which Russia, Iran and any other nation that truly sympathizes with the Syrian people can join.
The former Iranian president reiterated that "the fact that we are friends" did no imply that Moscow and Tehran had identical views on all matters. He stressed that the two nations should continue cooperation on important strategic issues and also praised the potential for stronger economic and cultural ties.
"There is very good soil [for boosting the ties], but this does not mean that there should be no contradictions. Two brothers or a husband and wife living together may not agree on some issues, but in general they are united and work together," he added.
Russia and Iran have been maintaining regular political contacts, while being, along with Turkey, guarantors of the ceasefire in Syria. Most recently, at the meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's summit on Friday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani praised bilateral relations as "exemplary" and stressed the need for closer cooperation in the middle East. Russian leader Vladimir Putin, in turn, noted Iran's contribution to settling the Syrian crisis.
