Gaza War Source of Regional Crises: Norway’s FM

In a meeting with his Iranian counterpart on the sidelines of the Davos Summit in Switzerland on Tuesday, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide voiced concern about the difficult and complicated circumstances in Gaza.

"Unfortunately, the conditions in Gaza, Lebanon, and the Red Sea are getting worse, and we are ready to try to manage and calm the situation,” he added.

Thanking Iran's efforts to help create peace in the region, the Norwegian minister said, "The problems in the region are interrelated, and we also think that the conflict in Gaza should end immediately, and a ceasefire should be established."

Barth Eide considered the Palestinian crisis as the center of the crises in the region and pointed to Norway's constant political efforts to help solve the Palestinian crisis.

“Creating peace in Palestine will help create peace in the region," he added.

The foreign minister of Norway also touched upon his country's efforts to create peace in Palestine and the region and demanded that Iran use its influence to help establish peace in the region.

For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian expressed gratitude for Norway's attention to the situation in Gaza and the region and said, "If the root cause of the crisis in Gaza is well understood, the solution to the crisis is very simple."

Referring to more than 100 days of Israeli onslaught on Gaza, Amirabdollahian slammed America's support for the continuation of the war as a big mistake.

"The Israeli regime and the United States' insistence to continue the war, commit genocide against the Palestinians and wreak great destruction on Gaza have not achieved and will not achieve anything; and, they cannot accomplish anything through military means," Amirabdollahian added, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

"Iran does not welcome war and insecurity in the region. In the past 100 days, it has made many efforts to end the war and Israeli attacks on Gaza and create peace in the region. Because it had detailed knowledge of the region, it had warned about the danger of the war spreading. Now, Iran believes that the war against Gaza must end as soon as possible so that the region can achieve peace,” he stated.

"The root cause of the crisis is not in the Red Sea, Lebanon, and other parts of the region, but the genocide unfolding in Gaza. If that volcano is extinguished, there will be peace in other parts of the region as well. Therefore, the United States must change its modus operandi, and the Israeli regime cannot continue the war without American support. But if the military attacks of the Israeli regime continue, there may be an uncontrollable situation in the region," the Iranian minister said.

Amirabdollahian also rejected the imposition of any political solution on the Palestinians and said, "The Palestinian people and groups should be at the center of any political solution to the Palestinian issue."