In his address to the UN meeting, Zarif welcomed the topic of the meeting as the Middle East has been hit by conflicts more than any other regions.
He stressed that prevention of war requires focus on the causes and origins of it, including factors such as occupation, foreign intervention and extremism.
The Iranian foreign minister said that hegemonic powers and their attempts to achieve security at others’ expense through monopoly and creating regional blocs intensify the conflicts and bring about arm races.
He stressed the necessity of creating a powerful region instead of trying to be the superior power in the region, urging the countries to create security networks instead of creating security blocs in order to achieve collective security for all.
Zarif also underlined that the Islamic Republic of Iran never seeks a zero-sum game and opposes monopoly hegemony in the region.
The Iranian foreign minister called on the regional countries to change their policies based on mutual respect for others as well as shared principles, saying the Islamic Republic of Iran seeks a regional forum for dialogue in the Persian Gulf region to tackle the challenges of sustaining peace in the region.
He also called on the United Nations to help in that regard.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in New York on Thursday for a six-day visit to attend the UN Meeting on Peace-building and Sustaining Peace on April 24-25 and so far has held interviews with different American news outlets including CBS TV network, Al-Monitor, NPR, and Associated Press to elaborate on Iran’s foreign policy in the world and the Middle East region. He has also held meetings with foreign ministers of Belgium and Germany and has delivered a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
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