Update: Iran's president urges political solution to Syrian crisis

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani called for political solution to Syrian crisis here on Saturday in a meeting with the European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, Press TV reported.

"The Syrian issue has no military solution and must be resolved through diplomatic means," Rouhani said.

He described EU's role in promoting diplomatic efforts on Syrian issue as "effective" and called for its political influence to this end.

Rouhani warned that the Middle East region and North Africa would witness the formation of several terrorist groups in the future "if the terrorists are not seriously confronted."

Iran supports territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria in the face of divisive threats, the president stressed.

Both sides highlighted the regional stability and joint cooperation in the fight against terrorism and extremism in Syria, said Hamid Aboutalebi, a political deputy in the president's office, quoted semi-official Mehr news agency.

Rouhani and Mogherini also reviewed political cooperation as well as relations in the fields of economy, energy and communications between the two sides in the meeting.

Mogherini also underlined the importance of diplomatic solution to the Syrian issue.

She met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif Saturday and discussed issues of mutual interest including Syria.

Zarif hailed EU's constructive role on Syrian crisis and voiced Iran's readiness for closer cooperation with the European block.

Mogherini will leave Tehran for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia later Saturday for talks on Syria.

Her visit to the Middle East followed the trilateral meeting of Russian, Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers in Moscow on Friday.

Russia's Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian and Syrian counterparts vowed Friday to defend the revival of intra-Syria talks in order to facilitate a political solution to the protracted crisis. Endit