Damascus, Oct 10 (IANS): Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has urged an end to the presence of "illegal foreign powers" in the country, while mainly referring to the US and Turkish forces.

Assad made the remarks during his meeting with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdullahian, noting that the war on terror will continue until all Syrian areas are liberated, reports Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, Assad and Amir Abdullahian discussed the strategic relations between the two countries and the joint efforts exerted to put forward plans to boost cooperation in all fields.

Assad's comments came just days after Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad stressed that the army will be heading to northwestern Syria where Turkish-backed rebels are located, and to northeastern areas where US-backed Kurdish militias are positioned to restore these areas.

The government has recently called for the need to liberate what's left in the rebel-held areas in northern Syria, urging foreign powers which entered the territories without the consent to leave.

During the more than 10-year war in Syria, Iran has emerged as a key regional ally, helping the Assad administration to restore key areas while providing economic assistance.

Upon arriving in Damascus earlier on Saturday, the Iranian Foreign Minister said that over the past few weeks, Syria and Iran have reached "important agreements" on achieving comprehensive development in relations in all fields.

He said both sides are putting forward "intensive programs" to implement cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, and tourism.