TEHRAN, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Iran on Wednesday, during his stay in Tehran he is to visit Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other high-ranking officials, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Assad will discuss important regional issues and the expansion of the mutual relationships with Iranian officials, IRNA said without referring to the details of the talks and length of his visit.
Syria is Iran's closest ally in the region and the two countries enjoy common cultural, political and economic interests. Syria and Iran take Israel as their foe and support Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas movement in their struggle against Israel.
Currently, Iran is carrying out a large number of economic projects in Syria, including car production and housing projects, and Damascus hosts thousands of Iranian tourists and pilgrims every year.