Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Wednesday evening met and held talks with Syrian Prime Minister Hossein Arnous in his first such meeting in Damascus. He extended Iranian Vice President Mohammad Mokhber’s greetings to the Syrian prime minister and invited him to visit Tehran for participating in the 15th session of the high commission of the two sides. Amirabdollahian described the meeting as being vital for speeding up bilateral relations. He further called Syria a friend, brother and ally of Iran’s and described Iran as a friend of Syria’s during the Arab country’s difficult times. The top Iranian diplomat stressed the need to bolster brotherly ties between the two nations. Amirabdollahian noted that the previous meeting of the Iranian and Syrian presidents in Damascus and the agreements signed between the two countries are a sign of the firm determination of Tehran and Damascus to expand their ties in all spheres. The Iranian foreign minister also described as important, the recent visit of a high-ranking Syrian delegation to Tehran and meetings between the two sides as well as their emphasis on the need to facilitate trade, banking cooperation, car production lines, energy cooperation including in the oil, gas and electricity sectors. Amirabdollahian said it is also important for both sides to support the implementation of those agreements. He pointed to the signing of a comprehensive cooperation document between Iran and Syria during the visit of the Iranian president to Damascus, calling it a roadmap for all-out cooperation between the two states, which can facilitate the strengthening of their ties in areas of mutual interest. In the meeting, the Syrian prime minister also underlined that his country’s government and people appreciate Iran's support for Syria. Arnous said relations between the two countries are deep-rooted, friendly and brotherly and that Damascus is proud of these ties. Arnous added that Syria won more than 12 years of pressure and war, and now Syria’s enemies are trying to continue to put pressure on the Syrian government and people by imposing sanctions and economic pressure. The Syrian prime minister referred to the previous agreements between Tehran and Damascus during meetings of their high-ranking officials, including during President Raisi’s visit to Damascus, and said he is pleased with the implementation of the agreements and projects on which both sides agreed. He described the implementation of an agreement setting up power plants in Syria by Iranian companies as an important project. The Syrian prime minister expressed pleasure with the outcome of the trip of a group of Syrian businesspeople to Iran, adding that Syria will try to increase such trips and mutual meetings to pave the way for strengthening mutual cooperation in commercial and economic fields. Arnous then congratulated Iran on its accession to BRICS and described the development as a sign of the high economic capacity of the Islamic Republic and the power of its diplomacy. The Syrian prime minister also said Syria is pleased with the progress in relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia and noted that this is beneficial to the entire region.