Javad Kachouyan made the remarks in a seminar organized by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) entitled "Peace and Development in South Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia" underway at Serena Hotel in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
Commentators and experts from Iran, Turkey, Nepal, Russia, China, the United States, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Malaysia are also attending the IPRI seminar.
In today’s session, which addressed the situation in Afghanistan and Yemen, Kachouyan reacted to the remarks made by Mohammad bin Saghr Al Salmi from Saudi Arabia.
The ex-Iranian diplomat responded to repetitive allegations by Saudi officials about Iran's involvement in regional turbulence and accusing Tehran of expansionism in the Middle East, saying "history has proven that Iranians have always been peaceful and have supported peaceful coexistence and have never invaded a country despite being attacked by some countries."
Emphasizing Iran’s insistence on a political solution to all regional conflicts, he said "unfortunately, some Western countries have turned our region into a testing ground for their weapons and those that buy billions of dollars of their arms must be held to account for the current situation in the region.”
The ex-diplomat also said that Iran attaches great importance to the security in the region, adding that Tehran’s support for Lebanese Hezbollah is because of the movement’s fight against occupation.
According to the report, some speakers at the seminar also criticized Saudi Arabia’s policies in the region, saying that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have failed in their imposed war on Yemen.
KI/IRN83553951
Your Comment