Regional Security Requires Homegrown Solutions: Iranian FM

The Iranian foreign minister on Tuesday delivered an address to the second round of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership, a regional summit aimed at easing tensions between neighboring countries.

Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and France as well as two new guests — Bahrain and Oman — participated in the conference, the first round of which was held in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad in August 2021.

Speaking at the meeting held on the shores of the Dead Sea, Amirabdollahian said the convention of the event is aimed at supporting Iraq, adding, “The Iranian administration has expanded its relations with Iraq’s neighboring countries since taking office, and underlined supporting Iraq and the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in order to realize the country’s prosperity.”

The foreign minister said Iran has invariably defended regional security and stability.

 “We consider the peace, stability and security of our own country to be linked to the stability and security of the entire region, and based on this, our constant policy, which has not changed, has been to avoid war and help restore security and stability.”

Amirabdollahian said the Islamic Republic spared no effort in defending the security in the region as it stood firmly by the government and people of Iraq and Syria in their fight against the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, Press TV reported.

Expressing optimism that such meetings will help the formation of a “stable, prosperous and strong” region, Amirabdollahian said, “Dialogue between the regional countries to reach a common understanding in order to establish stability and peace is not an option but a necessity.”

The top Iranian diplomat said security is “not something that can be imported or bought,” nor can it be selected from one region to another.

“The most efficient coalition model among the countries of the region is the coalition for peace and development with the participation of all the countries of the region,” Amirabdollahian said, stressing the necessity of the cooperation of the countries of the region in dealing with regional challenges.

He also reiterated Iran’s willingness to offer assistance to regional countries towards regional security and peace, saying regional security should be provided by regional countries and that dialogue among nations is a critical component of this process.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are among the countries attending the conference in Jordan, which was organized by France and Iraq with the aim of providing a forum for discussing the region's problems.

The heads of state attending Tuesday’s summit include Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Jordan's King Abdullah, in addition to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah.

Elsewhere in his speech, Amirabdollahian underscored Tehran’s seriousness in the negotiations on the revival of the 2015 Iran deal, saying reaching a “good, strong and stable” agreement is the goal of the Iranian side in the talks.

The Iranian foreign minister also appreciated the “constructive role” of European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in the Vienna talks aimed at removing anti-Iran sanctions.

Amirabdollahian expressed Iran’s support for a West Asia free of nuclear weapons and mass killings, underlining the need to avert any possible threats posed by the Zionist regime's nuclear warheads to regional security.

Addressing the Baghdad conference, the top Iranian diplomat voiced the Islamic Republic’s solidarity with the Palestinian cause and said the issue of Palestine was the “primary issue” of the Muslim world.

Reiterating Iran’s full support for the Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation, Amirabdollahian said the political solution to the Palestinian issue was holding a referendum and the formation of an independent Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital.