“Perhaps, agreeing not to attack one another is the first step toward reducing tensions. We would consider such an agreement as a proper one,” Lavrov said at a press conference, held after his talks with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Eduardo Rodriguez Parrilla.
According to Sputnik, he also said that Zarif’s suggestion was in line with a “well-known and old” Russian initiative to create a “security concept” for the Persian Gulf, which would include Arab states, Persian Gulf states and Iran.
The Russian foreign minister added that no common stand had been formulated during discussions of this initiative.
“I believe that anyway we should move on toward creating such a concept, such a security system, and we should start with easy steps, such as being transparent about military matters, inviting each other to take part in drills and elaborating other measures aimed at boosting trust,” Lavrov said.
He stated that Russia would like to see the League of Arab States, the European Union, the United Nations as a whole and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as the guarantors of this security system.
In a joint press conference with Iraqi President Barham Salih in Baghdad on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Iran is inclined to be in a balanced relationship with all the Persian Gulf littoral states and is ready to sign a non-aggression pact with them.
- source : Mehrnews
