Ali-Akbar Ahmadian made the remarks in a meeting with the visiting defense minister of Syria General Ali Mahmoud Abbas in Tehran on Sunday. 
The SNSC secretary talked about the achievements made by the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza and stressed the need to continue supporting the Resistance Front. He also hailed the resistance of the Syrian nation and government as a member of the Axis of Resistance against the Zionist regime and terrorist groups.
Ahmadian expressed regret that parts of Syria are still occupied by foreign powers, especially the United States and the Zionist regime, as well as terrorist groups.
He emphasized the expansion of relations between the two countries in all areas, especially in the economic and pilgrimage fields, adding that the empowerment of Syria is in the interest of the security and stability of the region. “The development of relations can benefit the people of the two countries and the people of the entire region.”
The Syrian defense minister, for his part, stressed the need for the development of bilateral relations in all fields. He expressed gratitude for the support of the government and people of Iran to Syria over all the past years. “These relations were established since the beginning of the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran and in line with the opinion of the late Hafez Assad that has been followed by Mr. Bashar Assad, they have been bolstered over time,” he noted.
Referring to the developments in Gaza, he divided the world into two eras before and after the Al-Aqsa Storm Operation launched by the Palestinian Resistance and said that “these developments showed to everyone the failure of Zionism.”
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