Iran pursuing regional issues via intraregional cooperation

by Tauqeer Abbas
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Shafaqna Pakistan: The Islamic Republic of Iran has shown that it opposes citing regional issues in nuclear negotiations, while it is trying to follow up regional peace and security through intraregional diplomacy, Iran newspaper reported.

Director-General for the Persian Gulf Affairs of the Iranian Foreign Ministry Alireza Enayati, in a memo published on Saturday in the Tehran-based “Iran” newspaper, underlined that the recent regional tour of the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman proves that the Islamic Republic attaches importance to regional cooperation.

During the visits, FM Zarif and his counterparts discussed issues of mutual interests and Zarif informed the neighboring states of progress made in Vienna, Austria, on the 2015 nuclear deal dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the official noted.

He also said that the trips show Iran pursues consultations on regional issues with states inside the region not with Western powers because regional developments should be discussed without foreign interference.

According to the director-general, the tours are not considered the end of a process but they are the start of holding talks with all regional actors for an inclusive measure.

The regional talks can include eight countries of the northern and southern sides of the Persian Gulf plus Yemen to form multilateral cooperation for regional developments, he said, adding that the negotiations will be held between eight littoral countries of the Persian Gulf with Yemen to resolve problems, and the talks are not some kind of negotiations with Iran.

The Persian Gulf requires talks among regional states to get rid of tensions, he noted, saying that the regional nations are well aware that the US’s so-called maximum pressure on Iran is doomed to failure; therefore, the regional states should define the policy of maximum collaboration in order to pave the way for thriving the region.

The Hormuz Peace Initiative, which has been proposed by Iran, can be a framework for cooperation among the Persian Gulf littoral states, Enayati concluded.

Source: Shafaqna English

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