Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier for the second time in three months and discussed key regional issues during a press conference held on Tuesday.
Expressing willingness for broader cooperation in numerous fields, Zarif and Frank-Walter Steinmeier stressed the need for finding a political solution to the Syrian crisis.
Zarif said he will attend Syria Donors Conference, scheduled for February 4 in London, which is sponsored by UK, Germany, Norway, Kuwait and UN to raise money for displaced Syrians and refugees.
He underlined that Iran has always been active and pioneer in providing humanitarian aid to the Syrian nation and government.
Pointing to the recent tensions raised between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Zarif said the attack against the Saudi embassy in Tehran, which led to the severance of ties between Tehran and Riyadh, was “against our national security.”
Iranian officials strongly condemned the attacks on the Saudi diplomatic missions, with over 100 people arrested, added he.
Condemning Saudi’s hostile policies regarding tragedies happened during Hajj rituals last year, he noted that Iran has never been looking for “tensions of any kind” with its neighbors, Saudi Arabia in particular.
Pointing to the execution of prominent cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr last month by the Saudis, he said the religious scholar had not committed any act against Saudi national security.
The Iranian foreign minister also reiterated Tehran’s position rejecting any foreign intervention in the future of Syria.
He also referred to Geneva talks on Syrian crisis and strongly rejected the participation of those who are labelled as terrorists and those aiding extremist groups in Syrian ongoing peace talks.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, for his part, pointed to the nuclear Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as a new window to Tehran-Berlin ties, and said that Iran and Germany are deeply interested in expansion of closer bilateral relations.
Regarding Syrian crisis, Steinmeier underlined that Germany would act upon the understanding reached under UN supervision so that it will result in negotiations between the Syrian government and its opposition.
The German FM noted that Iran and Saudi Arabia are the two countries that can play a key role in the settlement of crisis in Syria. He added that he will visit Riyadh on Wednesday.
Steinmeier is scheduled to meet President Hassan Rouhani and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on Wednesday February 3, 2016. He underlined that in his scheduled meeting with President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday, the issue of his next state visit to Europe will be discussed.
Bilateral relations and problems in the Middle East are axes of the German foreign minister’s visit to Iran.
Steinmeier will depart Tehran for Riyadh after holding talks with Iranian senior officials.
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