Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said his country considers Russia’s decision to pull out its troops from Syria a “positive sign”.

“The fact that Russia announced they are withdrawing part of its forces indicates that they don’t see an imminent need for resort to force in maintaining the ceasefire,” said Zarif during his visit to Australia on Tuesday, according to BBC Persian.

“That could be a positive sign. We have to wait and see,” Zarif added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered on Monday a partial withdrawal of the main bulk of Russian forces from Syria, adding meanwhile that Moscow will maintain two main bases in that country.

Russian warplanes have been conducting air strikes against Islamic State (ISIS) and most other rebel groups in Syria since last September.

Meanwhile US Secretary of State John Kerry said late February that most Iranian fighters from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have left Syria in recent months on orders of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Rudaw