President al-Assad, Larijani confer on services to Iranian pilgrims

Damascus, Nov 30, IRNA -- Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani and Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Monday discussed the ways for better services to the Iranians paying pilgrimage to Damascus.

In the meeting which took place after inaugural ceremony of the Fifth Forum of the Asian Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, President al-Assad and Larijani exchanged views on developing bilateral ties.

President al-Assad expressed pleasure with the growth of economic cooperation and called for further cooperation.

Larijani referred to the victories of resistance movement to end occupation of the Arab lands in recent years and said that the Zionist regime has reached deadlock due to the successes of the anti-occupation movement.

Larijani stressed the need to promote solidarity and joint efforts to solve problems facing the Asian Inter-Parliamentary Aseembly member states.

Some 600,000 Iranians go on pilgrimage to Syria every year. The figure is capable to rise up to one million if the services improve.


Fifth Forum of the Asian Inter-Parliamentary Assembly opened in Damascus Monday and will continue until December 1.

Some 41 countries are participating in the event.

Larijani arrived in Damascus Sunday night and was welcomed by his Syrian counterpart Mahmoud al-Abrash and Iran's Ambassador Ahmad Mousavi./end