Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Bahram Ghasemi, made the comment in response to a question on the recent remarks by German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel to weekly news magazine Der Spiegel, who said ‘Iran could have normal, friendly relations with Germany only when it accepted Israel's right to exist.’
“The Islamic Republic of Iran sees defending the rights of Palestinian people as an unchanging principle of its foreign policy and under no circumstances will it ever give up on the Palestinian cause,” he stressed.
Ghasemi also deemed irrelevant Gabriel’s remarks on raising concern over Iran’s human rights record during his upcoming visit to Tehran, adding “the Islamic Republic will not allow any country to interfere in its domestic affairs.”
“While international terrorism is threatening the interests of all, it is expected that countries in the world, particularly those that have fallen victim to terrorism, to prioritize a serious and relentless fight against extremist ideologies and terrorist-training circles,” he said.
Ghasemi further referred to the prospect of Iran and Germany’s relations, adding “the two countries have a very high potential in expanding their bilateral ties in all areas, and German officials should heed the fact that certain countries have always opposed Tehran-Berlin development of ties and will spare no effort in hurting the growing relations, especially during critical times.”
The Iranian diplomat further called on German officials to be more careful and considerate in their remarks in order to develop closer cooperation with Iran.
German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel will travel to Iran for two days from Sunday, and hold talks with Iranian officials with a focus on economic cooperation.
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