Iran’s Foreign Minister heads to Syria after Baghdad Conference
ERBIL, KRG, Iraq (North Press) – Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian headed from Baghdad to the Syrian capital Damascus after the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership ended, official Iranian media outlets said on Sunday.
Abdollahian headed the Iranian delegation at the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Saturday.
Syria did not participate in the conference because it was not invited for reasons conference sponsors said amounted to “making the conference successful and staying away from tensions.”
Before his participation in the regional conference, Abdollahian said in statements reported by Iran’s official news agency IRNA that “it was necessary to invite Syria to this conference, as it is an important neighbor of Iraq.”
“Iran is in contact with Syrian leadership regarding the security and sustainable development of the region, and we will consult directly with Damascus on the Baghdad Conference and emphasize the vital role of the countries of the region in any initiative,” he added.
On Saturday, Ghalib al-Duaimi, a professor at Al al-Bayt University in Baghdad, said that all the countries participating in the conference rejected the Syrian presence except for Iran.
Some of the participants believed that “Iran’s participation in the conference represents Syria and Lebanon, as they are subject to Iran,” according to al-Duaimi.