Syria’s prime minister has expressed his gratitude to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei as well as the Iranian government and nation for the Islamic Republic’s unflinching support for the victims of the deadly earthquake in Syria and its humanitarian aid deliveries to the Arab country.
In a meeting with the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) Pirhossein Kolivand in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Friday, Hussein Arnous appreciated Iran’s continuous relief services to the Syrian earthquake victims and said the IRCS proved that it supports the victims of accidents and disasters in any situation.
“We are happy that the Red Crescent of the Islamic Republic of Iran has gained a good standing in the world in recent times, and we hope to be able to use the experiences of the IRCS. You proved that the Red Crescent is supportive and helpful in any situation,” Arnous told Kolivand at the meeting.
“It is a difficult situation and we are very happy that the Iranian Red Crescent is with us,” the Syrian prime minister underlined. “We thank the leadership, government, and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran for helping us in this difficult situation and we are grateful to you. We hope that the international community will also come to its senses and remove the sanctions against Iran and Syria because sanctions are also earthquakes that affect a country.”
Stating that the Iranian people and government have always been by Syria’s side, Arnous said: “We welcome bilateral cooperation in various fields because, today, the two countries have a brotherly relationship.”
Kolivand, for his part, expressed the IRCS’s readiness to share its experiences in providing relief and aid during various accidents and disasters with its Syrian counterpart.
“We are ready to sign a memorandum of understanding and share our experiences in the field of natural disasters, and this cooperation can lead to favorable results for both countries,” the head of IRCS said.
“The Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran is on the side of the Syrian nation and is trying to provide good assistance to the victims of the Syrian earthquake,” he added.
The Iranian official also talked about the new aid packages arriving in Syria by Saturday.
“An aid shipment today and another shipment will enter Syria tomorrow, which includes medicine, blankets, hygiene items, and food. Efforts are being made to provide necessary assistance in other areas,” he said.
In an earlier meeting with the President of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Khaled Hboubati, Kolivand said Iran would continue to send more humanitarian aid to quake-hit areas in Syria, vowing to facilitate the dispatch of international relief to the Syrian people.
Iran’s embassy in Damascus announced on Friday that the ninth batch of the Islamic Republic’s humanitarian aid arrived in the quake-hit Syrian city of Aleppo on Thursday night.
Syria, already shattered by more than a decade of war and draconian US sanctions, has reported more than 5,800 deaths since the high-magnitude tremor rattled the northern part of the country.
Iran pledged rescue and relief assistance to both Turkey and Syria immediately after the earthquakes. It also joined the international call to pressure the US to lift sanctions on Syria, saying they have obstructed the delivery of aid into the quake-hit areas.
In a telephone conversation with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Mirjana Spoljaric Egger on February 10, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the Islamic Republic is ready to immediately dispatch humanitarian aid convoys and rescue teams to Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib as millions of people are in urgent need of food, shelter, and warm clothes.
