TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is in Norway for an official visit, urged the necessity for finding political solutions to a five-year-old conflict in Syria and described the Islamic Republic�s four-article peace initiative as helpful for the Arab country.

�The solution to the Syrian crisis is political and cannot be achieved through military means,� Zarif told reporters in Oslo on Monday at a joint press conference with his Norwegian counterpart Borge Brende.

Iran believes that the resolution of the Syrian crisis is possible only through political means, the top diplomat reiterated.

He further described Iran�s four-article peace plan for Syria as a helpful way to get the Arab country out of the crisis.

Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.

According to a new report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country�s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.

As regards Tehran-Oslo relations, Zarif said the two countries have capabilities to boost cooperation in various fields, ranging from fishery to oil exports and regional issues.

On the first leg of his European tour, Zarif arrived in Norway on Sunday night to take part in Oslo Forum on Tuesday and hold meetings with the senior Norwegian officials on a range of issues, including ways to boost bilateral relations in various areas.

The Iranian foreign minister also plans to meet US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of Oslo Forum and hold talks on Washington�s commitments under the July 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

By Tasnim News Agency