Larijani lauds democracy as key to settling regional crises

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani made the remarks in a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven on Saturday in Tehran.

During the meeting, Larijani highlighted Iran’s emphasis on democracy, adding “according to our Constitution, no power can dissolve the Parliament. Parliament in turn has the authority to impeach ministers or even the president, at the same time that it has the power to give them vote of confidence.”

He went on to add, “in today’s world, countries should not stand against the wave of democracy, because suppression of democracy will lead to an outcome that will not to be the benefit of either that country or other countries in the world.”

Larijani referred to the prolonged wars in Syria and Yemen, adding “one reason for so much insecurity in the region is that certain countries assume that military aggression is the key to solve problems in other countries. However, we believe that a political solution through establishing democracy and forming a national unity government is the best approach to end the hostilities.”

The Iranian senior official then noted drug trafficking as another issue with which the region has been plagued, adding “unfortunately, narcotics are being transited via borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan and this imposes extensive costs on our country for combating it.”

Larijani then expressed his satisfaction with the visit of Swedish Prime Minister to Iran, voicing hope that the two countries would have closer cooperation in the fields of IT, energy and environment in the near future.

Stefan Löfven, for his part, voiced his country’s interest in cooperating with Iran on transport, energy, mines, new information technologies, as well as expansion of parliamentary ties.

He stressed the need for establishing peace and stability in the region, saying the presence of terrorists in the Middle East has also affected the security of European countries.

Löfven also highlighted the significance of democracy for development and power for governments, expressing hope that the crises in Yemen and Syria would soon be settled through a political solution.

The Swedish prime minister deemed Iran a major and influential country in resolving regional conflicts, and called for further talks between the two countries on human rights and expansion of economic cooperation.

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