Heeding Syrian people’s demands and respecting the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty can help find a path out of the ongoing crisis and lead to political Syrian-Syrian talks, Fars News Agency quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi as saying in a meeting with Qatar’s new Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in the Qatari capital, Doha, on Saturday.
Foreign-sponsored militancy in Syria, which erupted in March 2011, has claimed the lives of many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel.
The top Iranian diplomat further highlighted the need to respect all Muslims.
Islamic scholars should promote the principle that all Muslims from different Islamic faiths and sectarian groups should be respected in a bid to ward off religious and sectarian divide, said Salehi.
The visiting Iranian foreign minister also underscored the need for security to take hold in the strategic Persian Gulf region, highlighting closer cooperation among regional states.
The Qatari emir, for his part, described Iran as an influential country in regional equations, adding Iran’s potential should be tapped in order to help settle regional problems.
The Qatari ruler also hailed Tehran-Doha age-old relations, and underlined the need to forge closer cooperation on all fronts.
On Tuesday, Qatari ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani officially abdicated power in favor of his son, Sheikh Tamim. The 61-year-old Emir, who had overthrown his father in a coup in 1995, handed over the power to his 33-year-old son after 18 years of ruling the country.
