Iran Says Willing to Improve Ties with Neighboring Countries

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (Tasnim)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (Tasnim)
TT

Iran Says Willing to Improve Ties with Neighboring Countries

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (Tasnim)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (Tasnim)

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran is willing to improve relations with neighboring countries, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported on Monday.

In a speech during the third Tehran Dialogue Forum 2022, Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran welcomes rebuilding trust and constructive cooperation with its neighbors, especially the Gulf countries.

He expressed Iran’s readiness to hold a meeting at the level of defense and foreign ministers of neighboring countries and countries bordering the Arabian Gulf to establish regional security in cooperation with these countries and enjoy a world where peace prevails.

The FM congratulated Qatar’s deputy foreign minister on the success of organizing the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and Doha’s cooperation with the Iranian football team.

In remarks about Ukraine, Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran’s fundamental policy is against the use of force and supports resolving the conflict through political means.

“Europe is paying the price for the policies of the United States towards Ukraine,” the FM stated.

He deemed as “baseless” the accusations against Tehran of providing drones to Russia and stressed that the West seeks to justify its support for the war through these accusations.

The forum kicked off its activities on Monday, with the participation of political officials, directors of think tanks and research institutes, intellectuals and researchers.

The event was held under the title: “The Neighborhood Policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran... An Approach to Friendship and Trust-Building,” Germany’s news agency DPA reported.

Amir-Abdollahian said the summit Jordan will host this week could help move forward the talks on reviving the nuclear deal with world powers that have been stalled for months.

Jordan will host the second session of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership on Tuesday.

The event will bring together Iraq and its neighboring countries, as well as France. The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and his assistant, Enrique Mora, the nuclear talks coordinator, will also attend.

Amir-Abdollahian said the event represents a good opportunity for Tehran to complete these talks.

The minister, who will represent his country at the summit, reiterated Iran's position, which holds the other party, especially the United States, responsible for not completing the talks that would revive the 2015 nuclear agreement.

He expressed hope to see “a change in the US approach” and for the US side to act in a realistic manner.

He urged Americans to choose between hypocrisy and the return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.



Erdogan Does Not Rule Out Meeting Syria's Assad to Restore Ties

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (DPA)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (DPA)
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Erdogan Does Not Rule Out Meeting Syria's Assad to Restore Ties

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (DPA)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (DPA)

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he did not rule out a possible meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to help restore bilateral relations between the neighbors.

Türkiye severed ties with Syria after the 2011 Syrian civil war and supported opposition looking to oust Assad.

It has carried out several cross-border military operations against militants it says threaten its national security and formed a "safe zone" in northern Syria where Turkish troops are now stationed.

Asked by reporters about Assad's reported comments that his government was open to normalization initiatives as long as they respected Syria's sovereignty and contributed to counter-terrorism, Erdogan said Ankara and Damascus could act to restore ties.

"There is no reason for it not to happen," Erdogan said, and added Türkiye had no intention of interfering in Syria's internal affairs.

"Just as we kept our ties very lively in the past - we even held talks between our families with Mr Assad - it is certainly not possible (to say) this will not happen again in the future, it can happen," he said after Friday prayers.

Syrian officials have repeatedly said that any moves towards normalizing ties between Damascus and Ankara can only come after Türkiye agrees to pull out thousands of troops it has stationed in the opposition-held northwest.

In April 2023, the defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Iran, Russia, Syria and Türkiye held talks, as part of efforts to rebuild Türkiye-Syria ties after years of animosity.