“Since the beginning of the crisis, the Islamic Republic of Iran has stood by the Syrian people and has opposed bloodshed in Syria,” Faisal Miqdad said in a meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on Thursday.

He said Iran plays a crucial role in efforts to resolve the foreign-hatched turmoil in Syria.

Nothing can tarnish the “strong ties” between Iran and Syria, stressed the Syrian official.

Amir-Abdollahian, for his part, said that Iran advocates a political solution to the ongoing crisis agreed through national dialog in Syria, reaffirming Iran’s opposition to any foreign interference in the Arab country.

He pointed to the threats emanating from terrorism in Syria and the region and called for an “all-out fight” against the scourge.

The Iranian diplomat stressed Iran’s backing for the Syrian government and nation.

Reiterating that Iran has played an active and constructive role in the peaceful settlement of regional crises, Amir-Abdollahian said, however, that Tehran will not accept any preconditions for participation in the upcoming international talks on the crisis in Syria.

The UN has set January 22, 2014 as the date for the international meeting on Syria. The conference will open in the Swiss city of Montreux on January 22 before moving to the United Nations office in Geneva on January 24.

The talks aim to find a political solution to the deadly crisis that has gripped Syria since 2011.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the turmoil that has gripped Syria for over two years.

The UN also says more than four million other Syrians will be forced out of their homes in 2014 by the escalating conflict in the country.

Two million Syrians are expected to take refuge outside the country while another 2.25 million are predicted to be internally displaced next year.

NTJ/NJF