“Attending two conferences is in the agenda of participating the 137th meeting of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU),” said Ali Larijani, the Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, late on Thursday, upon arriving at Saint Petersburg airport.
“Tomorrow’s conference is related to security cooperation which is attended by parliament speakers in Russia,” said the top lawmaker, “it is an area always under our spotlight that countries of region be able to establish closer relations for having peace and security. However, we are not a member of the conference and we are attending at it as a guest.”
The Iranian legislator was referring to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a treaty first signed on 15 May 1992 between Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The treaty was renewed in 2002 as a military alliance.
“Considering that the situation in the region and the world is somehow disrupted at different levels, political dialogues which could enhance safe conditions in the world are of high importance in the mind of politicians,” noted Mr. Larijani.
Pointing to cultural and ethnic diversity as one of the topics to be discussed at IPU meetings, the top law-maker articulated that cultural and ethnic diversity could pave te way for peace and security.
“This comes to importance when you see that the cultural or religious issues act as a n element to disrupt security and create regional or global issues,” maintained Mr. Larijani, “sometimes these secessionist movements both in Europe and Asia are rooted in ethnic and religious causes. Or even some terrorist acts against security are floating over religious issues.”
When the Iranian senior official was asked about Trump’s possible decertification of Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal, he said that Trumps talking about these issues is not something new, “because in the period since has entered office has been saying many weird things and it is not that much important.”
The top legislator of Iran asserted that such comments and articulations damage the credit of the Americans in the world. “You witnessed that many officials from Europe and elsewhere have denounced this kind of behavior and gives chance to Iran to create other developments.”
He labeled Trump’s behavior as short run hypes unaccepted by Iranian officials and vowed that Iranians would not get stuck in such spider webs.
After arriving in Saint Petersburg, the Iranian lawmaker and his accompanying entourage were welcomed by Iranian ambassador to Moscow and Duma representative. In the first program of his visit to Russia, Mr. Larijani met with Vyacheslav Volodin, the Speaker of the Russian Parliament’s Lower Chamber, the State Duma, on Friday.
Mr. Larijani is accompanied by Parliament's General Director for International Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in his visit to Russia to attend the 137th meeting of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
The five-day meeting of the IPU to be attended by parliamentary delegations from more than 150 countries will open in a ceremony in St. Petersburg on Saturday.
Over 100 parliament speakers and some 70 vice speakers accompanied by delegations are participating in the event.
Promoting parliamentary cooperation in the international scene, fighting terrorism, countering security challenges faced by the countries and discussing economic and financial issues, human rights and democracy are on the agenda of the IPU meeting.
Explaining Iran’s stances in parliamentary and international scenes and meeting with parliament speakers participating in the event are included in Larijani’s schedule.
The IPU is the international organization of world parliaments. It was established in 1989.
It is the focal point for world-wide parliamentary dialogue and works for peace and cooperation among peoples and for the firm establishment of representative democracy.
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