Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli is to pay an official two-day visit to Syria to hold talks with the Arab country’s officials. Babak Dinparast, deputy interior minister for international affairs, said on Saturday Fazli will travel to Damascus on Monday at the invitation of his Syrian counterpart Major General Mohammad al-Shaar, Press TV reported. He added that the visit is aimed at discussing ways of improving Tehran-Damascus relations and implement an earlier agreement signed by the two sides. During a visit by Shaar to Tehran in June 2015, the Iranian and Syrian interior ministers signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorists, organized crimes and drug smuggling. Last week, Health Minister Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi visited Syria where he held talks with Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi, his counterpart Nizar Yazigi and Higher Education Minister Mohammad Amer Mardini. Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy for four and a half years. More than 250,000 have lost their lives and millions displaced as a result of the crisis in the Arab country.
