Syria Daily: Russia’s Putin, Iran’s Rouhani Meet, Declare Cooperation

EAST KURDISTAN (IRAN) – MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : PUTIN TURNS AGAIN TOWARDS IRAN

By Scott Lucas – eaworldview – June 10, 2018

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani discussed the situation in Syria in a meeting on Saturday.

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Qingdao, China, the two leaders declared cooperation, hoping to sweep away tension over Israeli airstrikes and operations in southern Syria. Russia, which has a cooperation arrangement with Israel from September 2015, has not provided any defense against periodic Israeli strikes on regime and Iranian positions. In April, Iranian personnel were killed as Israel carried out its most extensive raids in the 87-month conflict.

Russia has also publicly checked any pro-Assad offensive against opposition positions in the south, along the Jordanian border and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. After Israel threatened to intervene against any operations including Hezbollah and Iranian-support foreign militia, Moscow called for the withdrawal of all “non-Syrian forces” from the area and a political process to bring rebel withdrawal.

Rouhani and Putin did not refer to the specific issues. Instead, the Iranian President said Tehran’s efforts with Russia to defeat the Islamic State have been “effective” and that cooperation will continue in “fighting terror”, stabilizing the country, and other defense and economic issues.  Putin said the Russian-Iranian regional alliance will be sustained, especially in Syria. www.mesop.de