TEHRAN (Iran News) –Foreign Minister says that Tehran is ready to hold a joint meeting of foreign and defense ministers between Iran and the Persian Gulf states and other neighboring countries.
Speaking at the third edition of the Tehran Dialogue Forum (TDF), Hossein Amirabdollahian said that the policy of neighborhood is the centerpiece of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy.
The administration uses all its might to build trust and strengthen the foundations of friendship with its neighbors in the region, he added.
The foreign minister noted that Iran has always been one of the foundations of stability and security in the region and the frontline of the fight against ISIL terrorism, adding that Iran has always been at the forefront of fighting all kinds of terrorism in the region and the world.
Iran is ready to build trust and cooperate in all dimensions with its neighbors in the region and the Persian Gulf region to establish security and stability in the region, he underlined.
Tehran is ready to hold a joint meeting of foreign and defense ministers between Iran and the Persian Gulf states and other neighboring countries, Amirabdollahian said.
Stating that the policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to develop relations with its neighbor, he added that Ebrahim Raisi’s administration is ready to focus more on the development of regional and international cooperation through constructive and forward-looking dialogue.
Iran has received a large number of Afghan refugees in the last year while it is under the most severe sanctions, said the Iranian foreign minister.
Iran believes that stable security in Afghanistan is possible only through the formation of an inclusive government, he added.
Iran has always welcomed China’s regional cooperation with the countries of the region, said Amirabdollahian, adding that in recent years, Tehran and Beijing have raised the level of their relations to long-term strategic cooperation. “Last week, two Iranian and Chinese representatives held talks in Tehran to follow up on the implementation of the joint comprehensive program of strategic cooperation between the two countries.”
Referring to the joint statement issued by the PGCC member states with the presence of China during Xi’s visit to Saudi Arabia, he said Iran announced its displeasure and protest through diplomatic channels in an official form and sent an official note to the Chinese side.
Emphasizing the continuation of strategic cooperation with China, he noted that Iran won’t allow anyone to comment on its territorial integrity.
The third Tehran Dialogue Forum (TCF) has kicked off in Tehran, with officials and representatives from different countries across the world taking part.
This year’s initiative, which kicked off on Monday morning, is focused on the policy of the Islamic Republic toward its neighbors and its approach to friendship and trust-building. The forum is attended by nearly 70 officials and representatives of think tanks and research centers from 36 countries.
Meanwhile in the forum expressing Iran’s readiness to return to its JCPOA obligations, the head of Iran’s Foreign Policy Strategic Council said that for decades, Iran has been after a region free of nuclear weapons.
Kamal Kharrazi spoke about the recent development in Iran.
What happened in Iran in recent months was a hybrid war, Kharrazi said, adding that many foreign media, intelligence agencies, and terrorist operations were involved in this hybrid war.
Disturbing of public opinion is one of the features of this hybrid war, which is called cognitive war, he noted.
“You have witnessed how some countries including France, the UK, and the US deal with riots,” he said and stated that Iran is no exception.
He also referred to IAEA technical team’s visit to Tehran, saying, “Now Iran is ready to return to its JCPOA obligations. Many problems have been solved so far except for the safeguard issues, and we hope that these issues will be resolved during this visit.”
For decades, Iran has been after a region free of nuclear weapons, he said, stressing that Israel’s nuclear weapons should also be destroyed and it should join safeguard.
Today, Iran has the necessary nuclear capability, but the country has no intention to build nuclear weapons, he underlined.
Meanwhile on the sidelines of the event Amirabdollahian said that diplomats of the European Union and Iran seriously follow up on consultations on the resumption of the 2015 nuclear agreement.
Amirabdollahian said in a press conference that his Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani and Deputy Secretary-General European Union Enrique Mora as well as he himself and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell continue consultations.
Borrell and Mora are going to visit Jordan concurrent with the arrival of the Iranian delegation to the second Baghdad Conference on December 20, the Iranian top diplomat said.
The conference in Amman is a proper opportunity to accomplish talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he said, expressing hope that despite the Americans’ attitude in the last three months, a change of approach and realistic behavior from the American side would be seen.
As to the negotiations with Saudi Arabia on resumption of diplomatic ties, he noted that the talks are in the path of official diplomacy and Iran is ready, whenever the Saudis are prepared, to reopen embassies and return the relationship to a normal mode, so this is the Saudi side that should decide how to pursue a constructive approach towards Iran.
He further said that the second Baghdad Conference can provide an atmosphere to get away from challenges and that the main message of the event should focus on regional cooperation without foreigners’ intervention.
The Islamic Republic has always embraced dialogue and collaboration with regional nations, including Arab littoral states of the Persian Gulf, the foreign minister underlined.
