Speaking to the reporters after the meeting with the head of the parliament of Nakhchivan, Zarif expressed happiness that he started his regional tour in Baku and is bringing it to an end in Nakhchivan, adding that Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is central to the future of peace in the region.

Based on the talks on his trips to Azerbaijan, Russia, Armenia, Turkey, and Georgia, Zarif hoped that they can create an all-out cooperation for connections in the region – through the South-North and South-West corridors, adding that the corridors will connect the Persian Gulf to Russia and to the Black Sea, in both of which Nakhchivan has an important role.

Foreign Minister Zarif arrived in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on Saturday morning and held the head of the parliament of the autonomous republic.

Previously, Zarif said that at the end of the visit to the five countries, he visited Nakhchivan to discuss the transit facilities and conditions of cooperation after the Karabakh war.

He hoped that the countries will have more cooperation in transit and it will lead to sustainable peace in the region.

“Constructive, friendly, & fruitful conversations in Turkey with President @RTErdogan & FM @MevlutCavusoglu,” Zarif wrote in his tweeter account.

He added that “discussed expansion of bilateral ties & regional cooperation—Syria, Iraq, & the Caucuses.”

“Concurred that the only way to restore stability in the region is thru synergy,” he noted.

At the last leg of his regional tour, FM Zarif arrived in Turkey to hold talks with Turkish authorities on regional and bilateral issues.

The Iranian foreign minister visited the Republic of Azerbaijan, Russia, Armenia, and Georgia, discussing the latest developments in the Caucasus region as well as mutual ties with officials of the respective countries.

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“As we have consistently emphasized, the solution to our challenges lies in collaboration to jointly form a ‘strong region’: peaceful, stable, prosperous, and free from global or regional hegemony,” the top diplomat added.

Zarif’s tweet followed a call by Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states to enter negotiations with neighboring Iran in order to resolve their differences.

Al Thani said on Tuesday the time was right for Doha to broker such talks, and that he has long called for a summit between leaders of the six-member council and Iranian officials.

He said his government was “hopeful that this would happen and we still believe this should happen,” noting that this is also a desire that’s shared by other PGCC countries.

Back on December 23 last year, the Qatari foreign minister called for a de-escalation of tensions in the Persian Gulf region and dialogue between Arab countries and Iran.

Last day, Mohammad Javad Zarif made the remarks, noting that the Foreign Ministry has adopted legal measures in Iran and Iraq regarding the assassination of Lt. General Soleimani and the relevant reports have been presented to the Iranian Parliament.

He went on to say that Iran does not seek tension or war and the actions of the outgoing Trump administration will not affect the will of the Iranian nation.

“If anyone wants to invade Iran, they have to look at the history of previous aggressions, however, I think that our deterrence power will be effective in the last days of the Trump administration,” Zarif noted.

He further stressed Iran’s support for the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and maintained that the Islamic Republic is opposed to launching attacks on residential areas, especially the city of Ganja, which is considered a historical heritage.

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The interview was made on the first martyrdom anniversary of Lt. Gen. Ghasem Soleimani and Second-in-Command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was assassinated at Baghdad International Airport on Jan. 3, 2020, by the US terrorists.

The top diplomat referred to his tenure as Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, saying that back then, he enjoyed Soleimani’s advice for negotiations.

The General’s advice was always “useful”, Zarif added.

General Soleimani had a distinguished character, who gave importance to ending any struggle, namely wars in Afghanistan and Syria, Zarif said, noting that every peace proposal that Iran suggested for the regional developments, Soleimani proposed and supported them.

“Hajj Ghasem’s consultations were always useful to me, and I really didn’t take any advice from other people. Once I asked the Supreme Leader to allow Hajj Ghasem to personally participate in the session, and I was sure the talks would have been much more successful with him in attendance,” he added.

Zarif further praised Soleimani’s personal characteristics, describing him as a person who cared about people’s lives, reputation, and end of conflicts.

“Any peace plan I pursued had definitely been devised by Hajj Ghasem; he both encouraged us and helped us with the follow-ups,” he added.

Zarif then highlighted the significant role played by General Soleimani in the 2001 Bonn Conference, which resulted in an agreement on the re-creation of the State of Afghanistan following the US invasion of the country.

“Martyr Soleimani played a more important role in Tehran by holding talks with all jihadi groups of Afghanistan, to convince them to accept an equation which could shape a new future for Afghanistan in the years to come,” he noted.

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The Iranian diplomat made the remarks in a phone talk with his Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, on Tuesday night.

His remarks came after the US Navy announced last Monday the arrival of a nuclear-powered submarine in the Persian Gulf amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington on the eve of the first anniversary of the assassination of Iran’s top anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani on direct orders of outgoing US President Donald Trump.

The Iranian administration has also warned against any US adventurism aimed at militarizing the Persian Gulf, saying such moves would be in the interest of no country, whether in the region or elsewhere in the world.

“We do not consider the militarization of the Persian Gulf region to be in the interests of any country in the region and the world,” Ali Rabiei, the administration’s spokesman, said at his weekly presser on Tuesday.

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council also warned that the US Military’s increased mobility in the Persian Gulf region could lead to “harmful misunderstandings.”

“The US Military’s increased mobility in the region is a sign of defiance and fear because of past mischiefs. Such actions would increase the entropy of insecurity and lead to harmful misunderstandings,” Ali Shamkhani said on Monday.

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During the meeting, Zarif considered the support of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as the principled policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Referring to the need for the US to withdraw from Afghanistan, he added, “We consider a comprehensive political solution with the presence of all Afghan groups as the best guarantee of lasting peace in this country.”

Emphasizing the need to deepen consultations between the two friendly and neighboring countries at bilateral, regional and international levels, he expressed satisfaction with the opening of the Khaf-Herat railway, considering it a ground for expanding cooperation between the two countries and faster communication with the eastern regions.

“It is necessary to optimize the Dogharoon crossing to increase border cooperation,” Iranian FM highlighted.

Presenting a report on the progress of Afghanistan Peace Talks, Hamdullah Mohib, for his part, appreciated the positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in supporting the government and people of Afghanistan.

He also stressed the need to expand political, economic, cultural and security cooperation between the two countries.

Referring to the opening of the Khaf-Herat railway, Mohib expressed hope that regional cooperation with such projects would be strengthened.

Cooperation in the political, economic and security fields, holding a joint commission of the two countries and pursuing other ongoing projects, and especially more cooperation in the field of water, were other topics of talks between Iranian Foreign Minister and National Security Advisor to the Afghan President.

Hamdullah Mohib arrived in Tehran on Tuesday morning to meet and hold talks with high political and security officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Earlier, he met with the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.

During the meeting, Shamkhani stressed Iran’s strong support for the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

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Reading out the poem “Araz, Araz” and actually it means “Aras, Aras (Aras River)” by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has only revealed half a percent of hidden malice of this ambitious Freemason that has got so bad that even Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded to Erdogan’s remarks by saying, “No one can talk about our beloved Azerbaijan.”

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

The esteemed readers remember that during the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict over Karabakh, I wrote an article with the title of “Atheist or Hypocrisy, Which One Should We Side With?” In that article that I wrote on October 7, I explained the reason why Erdogan was supporting Azerbaijan Republic in war with Armenia that this malicious man thinks more of Turkish Empire rather than merely thinking of the support of Azerbaijan. But interests definitely required that we put Armenia under pressure in order that Erdogan’s intentions are materialized by Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev. In that article I had written

“Have anyone thought that Turkey in supporting Republic of Azerbaijan’s invasion at Armenia is pursuing some part of its scenario on Neo-Ottomanization? That Nagorno-Karabakh dispute has very dimensions and multi-dimensions like inland, outland, regional and even international roots and for this reason all regional and international actors are involved in this dispute, ”and in justifying Turkey’s behavior in the very article I had written, “Suppose that we have not had and do not have any peaceful relation with Armenia which is a non-Islamic country and we call them atheist but how can we not see the goals of Turkey behind this dispute? Turkey’s interest for active presence in the Caucasus region and cooperation and proximity with Azerbaijan can be analyzed as the hegemonic goals and its major goals can be enumerated clearly. First Turkey with supporting Azerbaijan has a strategic approach to the Caucasus Region for creating a strategic balance for competition with regional actors like Russia and Iran and attaches a special attention to extending its joint border with Iran. Secondly, economic goals of Turkey in the Caucasus Region for providing its energy through developing and expanding the oil pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan), and cooperation with Azerbaijan has a far-sighted process and it is part of its Neo-Ottomanization strategy in the region. Thirdly, Turkey’s motivation for entering the South Caucasus Region is accompanied with a nationalism and ideological approach. Turkish language, religion and common religion have made Turkey’s President Erdogan have a special view blended support from Azerbaijan in the Karabakh issue. Now it is quite clear some of expenditures which are spent by Pan-Turkism in Iran are financed through which avenues. Smartly one should notice that the dominant condition on Caucasus region is in a way that countries which struggling with crises like Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have to rely on regional and trans-regional powers and actors for pursuing their goals and relation because of their incapability in managing the crisis and settling the disputes. So the success of Turkey in this region will not ever be to the benefit of the region.”

“The reason that Turkey does not intend to convince Azerbaijan to accept Iran’s mediation as the sheikh (leader and elder) of the region lies in this issue that the unconstructive role of international actors like  the OSCE Minsk Group (the U.S., Russia and France) is very calculated and bold for settling the dispute due to their differences over their interests, and continuity of the dispute and above all success of Azerbaijan will never be to the benefit of a sustainable peace in this geography.”

Now with recent Erdogan’s remarks, it is crystal clear that the Western-Arab-Hebrew current is seeking fracas in the region and goes ahead with an intention of secession in Iran and I have had no doubt and you should also have no doubt that Erdogan has smelt scent of kabab (barbecue) but he does not know it was the smell of branding the donkey.

Good behavior of President Hassan Rouhani’s government with Erdogan in the past can witness its harmony or its inexperience, and the risk lies here when enemies are planning to dictate their secessionist policies, these Erdogan’s remarks are the telltale sign of a plot which has been disclosed through his mouth.

We should know that the danger of Erdogan of today is more than of Saddam Hussein because Saddam had no fraternization with the domestic current, and even the terrorist grouplet MKO members on the orders of London in 1979 turned to Saddam but Erdogan has had a weapon with the tool of Turkish language, so called pan-Turkism, and also finding friend in the process of coexistence with Iran government. Of course, I merely warn and do not intend to accuse anyone in the country.

  By: Hamid Reza Naghashian

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“We will not negotiate with the West over the region. The main problem is their interventions,” he added.

“Meanwhile, we are always ready to negotiate with our neighbors, and projects such as the 1986 Regional Security, the 2016 Regional Dialogue Forum, and the 2019 Hormoz Peace Initiative illustrate this point,” Zarif noted.

On Monday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh pointed to Riyadh and Manama rulers’ wish to be partners to “future talks on Iran’s nuclear program” and said some regional countries have made every effort, at the cost of their people’s livelihood, to ensure their own security with the help of the US’ outgoing president.

“Tehran’s voice is loud and clear; Iran is an anchor of stability in the region, and as an older brother, it has tried to ignore the mistakes of these countries,” he said, adding that “These countries need to know their position, and they should speak within their capacities.”

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IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

TEHRAN – Faysal Mikdad, the newly-appointed foreign minister of Syria, made his first foreign visit to Tehran yesterday to hold talks with senior Iranian officials, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

Mikdad yesterday met his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and discussed a broad range of issues in a meeting in Tehran.

In the Monday talks, the two ministers discussed bilateral, regional and international issues as well as the joint battle against terrorism.

Hailing the broad and strategic relations between Iran and Syria, the two senior diplomats reaffirmed commitment to enhancing and strengthening bilateral ties and weighed plans for promotion of bilateral and multilateral economic relations.

At the beginning of the meeting, Foreign Minister Zarif paid tribute to the late foreign minister of Syria Walid al-Muallem, congratulated Foreign Minister Mikdad on his new post, and expressed readiness for cooperation with the new Syrian foreign minister.

Zarif also expressed satisfaction with the continuation of the political process in Syria, reaffirmed Iran’s support for the Astana Process, and said he was positive about a recent conference on the return of Syrian refugees.

Expounding on the situation and the recent developments in the region, Foreign Minister Zarif stressed the need for vigilance and consultations among Iran, Syria and other countries.

For his part, Foreign Minister MIkdad conveyed condolences from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian people to the Iranian government and nation for the martyrdom of Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and top commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani, paying tribute to the two revered martyrs.

The visiting foreign minister also expressed gratitude to the Islamic Republic of Iran for the constant supports for Syria in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

Mikdad then denounced the U.S.’ anomalous activities in the region that have escalated the tensions, saying they reveal that the Zionist regime’s interests have priority over the U.S.’ interests in the region.

He finally underlined the Syrian government’s determination to keep fighting against terrorism, saying mutual cooperation between Damascus and Tehran is significant in this approach and is considered as a basic step in restoration of peace and calm to Syria.

Mikdad is to meet other Iranian officials.

He was appointed on November 22 as Syria’s foreign minister after the death of the country’s foreign minister Walid al-Muallem. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued presidential decrees appointing Mekdad as foreign minister, Bashar al-Jaafari as deputy foreign minister, and Bassam al-Sabbagh as Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations.

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