Iran’s Zarif Urges Respect for Regional Nations’ Self-Determination
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated Tehran’s policy to oppose any foreign intervention in the internal affairs of other countries, saying that the Middle Eastern nations should determine their own destiny.
Upon his arrival in Algeria on Tuesday evening, Zarif met with the North African country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ramtane Lamamra and held talks on whole host of issues, including the latest developments in the region.
The Iranian top diplomat pointed to the ongoing crises in the Middle East, and said, “The fate of regional countries should be determined by their own people and no one should interfere in it.”
In a Monday meeting with Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid, Zarif had said that all regional countries are facing the danger of terrorism, and urged the Muslim world to unite against this common threat.
Cooperation among Muslim countries should focus on preventing sectarianism, extremism, and violence, Zarif said, emphasizing that “extremism and terrorism are common threats to the entire region.”
The Iranian foreign minister left Tunisia for Algeria on Tuesday on the second leg of a new round of his international tours after the conclusion of nuclear talks between Tehran and major world powers.
Following the Vienna nuclear talks on July 14, Zarif had visited several countries including Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria in the Middle East as well as India, Pakistan, and Russia.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) finalized the text of a lasting nuclear accord on Tehran’s nuclear program after 23 months of diplomatic negotiations.
