Iran and Syria signed 12 cooperation agreements on Thursday as the two countries' officials hailed their "excellent political relations," the local Fars News Agency reported.

The agreements, which were endorsed by Iranian First Vice- President Parviz Davoudi and visiting Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Naji Otri, pertain to areas of industry, health, medicine, information technology, housing and urban development.

Cooperation in electricity, water and swage systems, technical and professional training and agriculture are among the other topics touched in the agreements, Fars said.

Speaking to reporters in a joint press conference with Otri after signing the 12 cooperation agreements, Davoudi said that the two sides' economic, social and cultural ties should "match their excellent political relations."

The Iranian first vice-president also said that Iran-Syria unique ties could set a very appropriate and convenient model for the regional and Islamic countries, showing how Muslim states in the region can reinvigorate themselves through cooperation.

For his part, the Syrian prime minister said that the documents indicate the two government's friendship and efforts are made to expand ties and cooperation to a unique level.

Otri stressed that "the cooperation serves as a confrontation with challenges Iran and Syria are facing and also show the two countries' loyalty to their unchangeable national principles."

Source: Xinhua