Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami said on Sunday that his country was capable of helping Syria in expanding its military arsenal. Iran “has high capabilities in the area of defense and can help Syria in expanding their military equipment,” he said, according to the ISNA news agency. The Iranian minister was speaking during a press conference with his Syrian counterpart Ali Abdullah Ayoub as part of his two-day visit to Syria where he already met with head of the Syrian regime Bashar Assad and a number of military high-ranking officials. According to the Tasnim news agency, Assad told the Iranian minister that “relations between the two countries are strong and stable.” Prior to visiting Damascus, Hatami had said he would discuss in Syria regional and international relations and would try to pave the way for a phase of cooperation. Last week, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said that Iran should remove its forces from Syria. Senior Iranian officials have said their military presence in Syria is at the invitation of the Assad regime and they have no immediate plans to withdraw, reported Reuters. Iranian diplomatic sources in Damascus told the German news agency on Sunday that “Hatami’s visit to Syria would discuss means of enhancing and expanding military and defensive cooperation between Tehran and Damascus, in addition to tackling the latest developments.” Hatami is expected to sign with his Syrian counterpart an agreement on military and defensive cooperation. Since the start of the war in 2011, Iran and Russia have been considered the main allies of Damascus, offering the regime political, economic and military support. “We hope to have a productive role in the reconstruction of Syria,” Hatami said on arrival in Syria, according to Fars News.