Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Rida Rahimi on Saturday underscored the importance of President Bashar al-Assad's visit to Tehran, particularly regarding bilateral cooperation in the economic and investment fields.

"President al-Assad's visit will open a new page of bilateral cooperation which will serve the two countries, their peoples and the countries of the region," Rahimi said in a statement to SANA.

He noted that the importance of the signing of the free trade agreement between Syria and Iran stems from its contribution to increasing trade exchange volume between the two countries, opening opportunities for greater investments and introducing the products of both countries, which will contribute to achieving their development.

"Work is going on to double economic cooperation and expand the scope of joint cooperation so as to include other countries in the region in light of the great potentials of the region," Rahimi added.

He considered the memo of understanding also signed between Syria and Iran in the industrial and investment areas will help in establishing a strong industrial base that serves both countries and the region's countries.

"President al-Assad's visit to Iran is a translation on the ground of the will of the two countries' officials to increase bilateral cooperation in various areas," said Iranian Minister of Housing and Urban Development Ali Nikzad.

Nikzad, who also heads the Iranian side at the Syrian-Iranian Joint Economic Committee, stressed that the visit gains great significance due to the important issues it dealt with especially in the trade and industrial sectors, pointing out that both countries will constantly work together to achieve development through benefiting from the immense potentials they have