The anti-terrorist struggle is thought to be the most important world problem; but approaches toward a settlement of the problem are different in different countries. The ‘Russian’ coalition is acting against Daesh (ISIS) terrorists in Syria (the RF, the Syrian authorities, the Iraqi government, Iran), as well as the big coalition headed by the US. Moreover, the establishment of a coalition of Arab countries, headed by Saudi Arabia, has been announced recently. The Ambassador of Russia to Syria, Alexander Kinshchak, answering a question on whether these three forces could cooperate to defeat Daesh, told Interfax: “We closely coordinate our efforts on the struggle against ISIS with our Iranian, Iraqi and Jordanian allies, using joint information centers in Baghdad and Amman, as well as with the Kurds. However, I wouldn’t say there is a military alliance between Russia and these regional countries. It is more about parallel formats and mechanisms of anti-terrorist cooperation.”
Meanwhile, Ali Akbar Velayati, Advisor to the Supreme Leader of Iran, says that after the move towards a multipolar world, relations between Iran and Russia could be decisive. “Every day the determining factor gets more important. Iran and Russia can play a very important role not only in the future of the region, but also in future of international issues. Our two countries have common interests. However, the speed of the changes occurring in our region requires us to meet more often, to take even more general measures in order to bring our two countries closer.”
Velayati thinks that the visit of Vladimir Putin to Iran last year was a turning point in the relations between Moscow and Tehran. He says that “our relations are becoming even more strategic in nature.”
The Advisor cited the example of cooperation in Syria: “We protect the people of Syria, the Syrian government, against the threat of terrorists and their patrons. And such cooperation is unprecedented. The military, defense, and political balance in the region is changing to the benefit of Iran, Russia, Syria, Iraq and the whole region.”
Velayati believes that another dimension of intensification of cooperation is relations within the SCO: “We see very clear prospects. The alliance between important Asian countries is very friendly and constructive. We are here just to show our resistance to the US and NATO policy, which is aimed at expansionism. The SCO is not a military organization; there is economic, political, and regional cooperation. It is a definite consolidation of the countries of Western Asia. This consolidation will be a kind of barrier to the expansionist policies of the US and its Western allies.”
