Zarif and Arabi met on Wednesday on the sideline of the 68th United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.

The two sides underlined the need for a joint cooperation to remove any misunderstandings and concerns.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011.

A very large number of the militants operating inside Syria are reportedly foreign nationals.

According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies, especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

On Wednesday, Zarif also met and held talks with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres.

During the meeting, Zarif said that Iran and the UN refugee agency have had close cooperation.

Zarif said Iran is ready to continue its cooperation with the UN body in refugees’ affairs, including issues pertaining to the Afghan immigrants in Iran.

Guterres, for his part, said Iran’s cooperation with the UNHCR was strategic for the UN body. He said the UN agency was willing to maintain and cement cooperation with the Islamic Republic.

Over the past three decades, Iran has been hosting many refugees from neighboring countries especially Afghanistan, though it has received little international support.

MRKD/SHI