Tehran, Jan 8, IRNA � Iranian Minister of Health Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi and Syrian Health Minister Nizar Yazigi met in Damascuss on Thursday discussing means to solve the issues standing in the way of implementing health and medical cooperation agreements signed between Syria and Iran.


Yazigi stressed that his ministry will work on overcoming these issues, referring in particular to the obstacles concerning registration of medicines, so as to accelerate importing of medicines properly, SANA news agency reported.

The Iranian minister, for his part, said his country will exert every possible effort to support Syria and help it get through the crisis, explaining that Tehran will continue exporting Iranian-made medicines and medical equipment necessary to meet the needs of the Syrian people within a long-term strategy.

In a press statement following the meeting, Yazigi said the meeting came in the framework of continuous consultations and to follow up on the bilateral talks held lately in Tehran and the mechanisms to implement the joint memo of understanding for medical and therapy cooperation signed on August 18, 2015.

Later, Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi met Hashemi and briefed him on some of the major needs of the Syrian health sector, including special types of medicines and medical equipment, which might be supplied by Iran and other friendly countries.

The Iranian minister spoke to the reporters after the meeting and said that the talks discussed different areas of health cooperation, mainly in the scientific field and trade exchange of medicines and medical supplies.

Yazigi, in turn, noted that the required amounts of medicines and medical equipment needed by the Syrian Health Ministry are being delivered through the Iranian credit line, adding that it was agreed during the talks on granting scholarships for students and facilitating measures to speed up the importing of ambulances, in addition to holding short courses for training Syria medical cadres in Iran.

Higher Education Minister Mohammad Amer Mardini also discussed with the Iranian Minister cooperation between Syria and Iran in the fields of research, education, building capabilities in health sectors and exchanging experts and delegates.

Mardini affirmed during the meeting that work is underway to launch surgical operations of liver transplant in the Syrian university hospitals in the presence of liver surgeons from Iran.

Iranian health minister affirmed his country�s commitment to offer its energies and capabilities and expertise to the Syrians in the fields of services, medical sciences in addition to making use of the skills available at the Iranian experts in the fields of liver transplant, heart and intestines transplant and in other medical domains.

By IRNA