TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani pledged unwavering support for Syria in the fight against terrorism, saying Tehran favors Syria’s territorial integrity and unity and opposes any change in the borders across the region.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will keep assisting Syria in the fight against terrorism and in the establishment of security in the region,” President Rouhani said at a meeting with Speaker of the People’s Council of Syria Hadiya Khalaf Abbas, held in Tehran on Tuesday.

Such help for Syria is based upon Iran’s deeply-held belief that terrorism is a serious threat to the region and the world, the president added.

He also noted that efforts to preserve territorial integrity and solidarity of regional countries, including Syria, is a principle behind Iran’s policies, underscoring that changes in the borders would not benefit the region at all.

Elsewhere, President Rouhani said delivering humanitarian aid to the Syrian people is now a high priority.

For her part, the visiting Syrian speaker praised Iran for backing her country from the outset of crisis in 2011.

She also made it clear that the Syrian nation is the only entity entitled to decide the fate of the Arab country, recommending big powers, the US in particular, to try to stem terrorism if they are to provide any help.

Khalaf Abbas arrived in Tehran on Monday at the invitation of Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.

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 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.

By Tasnim News Agency