In a statement on Thursday evening, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kan'ani has said the use of a fake name instead of “Persian Gulf” by Iraqi officials is at odds with the principle of neighborly ties and friendly relations between the two countries.
Kanaani called on Iraq to correct this trend.
He said the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Baghdad earlier objected to this move. Kanaani further said the Foreign Ministry’s Department General of Legal Affairs also filed an official note of protest with the Iraqi officials.
He stressed that the department described the move by the Iraqis as unacceptable and called on Baghdad to respect international names.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Iran expects the Iraqi officials to use the correct name for the body of water, which has been underlined by the United Nations as well. Kanaani said the name of “Persian Gulf” has been the same in documents, maps, diaries and ancient texts for thousands of years and the fabrication of unfounded phrases and words will not change this reality.
He noted that no country should seek friendship with others at the expense of the rich asset of historical solidarity among regional countries.
MNA/MFA