A senior Iranian official says the Islamic Republic supports the establishment of a balanced and just ceasefire in Syria.

“Negotiations to solve the Syria crisis must be held among the Syrian government and opposition groups and the war must finally end,” Ali Akbar Velayati, the senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on international affairs, told reporters after a meeting with former Iraqi Oil Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi in Tehran on Tuesday.

He added that any ceasefire in Syria must safeguard the country’s territorial integrity, recognize its legitimate government and put an end to interference by foreigners, including reactionary states in the Middle East, the US and the Israeli regime.

He emphasized that those countries that have dispatched their forces to Syria without the Syrian government’s permission must stop their meddlesome moves.

The Syrian army troops and allied fighters have been fighting against different terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the Middle Eastern country since 2011, and have made sweeping gains against the Takfiri elements across the country.

A militant walks with his weapon on the outskirts of the northern Syrian town of al-Bab, January 26, 2017. (Photos by Reuters)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on January 31 hailed the will of his countrymen as one of the major factors helping the Arab country survive a foreign-sponsored conflict over the past six years.

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A nationwide ceasefire, brokered by Russia and Turkey with the support of Iran, has been largely holding in Syria since December 2016.

Velayati also reaffirmed the Islamic Republic’s support for the Iraqi government and nation in their fight against terrorism.

An independent and strong Iraq and a powerful Iran are two links in the chain of resistance against the Zionists and reactionary states in the region, he said, adding that the two countries play a key role in regional resistance.