The Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held a phone conversation with the UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab on Monday afternoon.
According to a statement by the Foreign Ministry of Iran, during the phone conversation, the UK foreign secretary offered his congratulations to Amir-Abdollahian on his appointment as the new Iranian foreign minister.
Raab also expressed hope that relations and engagement between the two countries in various fields would develop based on mutual understanding during the new administration in Iran.
The top Iranian diplomat, for his part, lamented the wrong policies of the United States and some Western countries with regard to Afghanistan, saying that security and stability in the country depend on the establishment of an inclusive government with the participation of all ethnic groups, welcoming dialogue and non-violence, and paying attention to the people as well as the practical confrontation with terrorism.
Amir-Abdollahian further referred to the hosting of almost 4 million Afghanistan refugees by Iran over the past four decades, stressing the need for living up to shared international commitments to deal with the new influxes of migrants and the problem of drug trafficking.
He further expressed Iran's readiness to facilitate humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
In response to his British counterpart’s remarks, the Iranian foreign minister stressed the Islamic Republic of Iran’s expectation to lift all illegal sanctions.
He pointed out that the 13th administration in Iran naturally at the start of its work is reviewing the process of Vienna talks and making consultations on how to continue these talks.
In the meantime, the Iranian foreign minister said that the new Iranian administration will welcome negotiations that have tangible results and protects the rights of and serves the interests of the Iranian people.
During the conversation, Amir-Abdollahian also stressed the importance of taking confidence-building steps on the part of the UK government to resolve some problems in bilateral relations, noting that the constructive and practical steps by the UK in these areas will be welcomed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In this regard, the UK foreign secretary stressed the practical commitment of his country to repaying the debts to Iran.
Moreover, in addition to discussing the most important international and regional developments, the two foreign ministers also agreed to continue their talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting later this month in New York.
It is worth mentioning that the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had previously sent a message to the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian congratulating him on receiving a vote of confidence from the parliament and taking office.
KI/Spox telegram channel