Pres. Rouhani: US’ military presence root cause of regional issues

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): “Reducing tensions, preventing any conflict from happening between countries and development of peace and stability in the region and the world are fixed approaches of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said President.

Speaking in a meeting with the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Gabriela Cuevas Barron on Sunday in Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani said, “The IPU has always had a positive role in guiding and brining parliaments and public opinions closer, as well as important political and social issues”.

“Terrorism, unilateralism and environmental issues are the problems that today’s world is facing and we need more cooperation among parliaments to address them,” he said.

Dr Rouhani added, “Looking into important international issues and voicing opinions by parliaments of different countries in various meetings are very important and these meetings have always been effective in key international issues”.

He also described unilateralism a major problem in today’s world, saying, “Many regional and global issues are because of some countries’ dictatorship and bullying behaviour, especially by the United States, the root cause of which is violating international regulations”.

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran also went on to refer to the US’ withdrawal from the nuclear deal and UNSC Resolution 2231, saying, “Maybe it is less seen that a country acting based on Security Council resolution is punished; but today, countries that are acting on Resolution 2231 are under pressure by the United States”.

“Today, the US is waging an economic terrorism against the Iranian nation, and it is imposing sanctions on even medicine and food,” said Rouhani.

Emphasising that many issues in today’s world are the result of the US government’s unilateralism and violation of international regulations, he continued, “In the recent years, Iranian oil platforms and cargo ships and even airliners have been attacked by American warships, and they have intruded Iran’s air space with their drone recently, which was shot down by Iranian defence forces after repeated warnings”.

He also described the violation of Iran’s airspace the beginning of a new tension in the region by them, saying, “This region is very sensitive, and the security of the strait linking the Persian Gulf to Oman Sea is very important for many countries; therefore, we expect all international institutions to give a proper response to this intrusive act by the US”.

Stressing that during the past 17 years, the United States’ interference in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and recently in Yemen, have made many problems, he said, “We believe that the security of all regions and the Persian Gulf must be ensured by the countries of the region”.

“The Inter-Parliamentary Union is definitely seeking regional and global peace and stability, and we respect that a lot,” he said.

Dr Rouhani continued, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is willing to develop its cooperation and relations with Latin American countries. Mexico is a very important country in the Latin America, and development of relations between the two countries can benefit both nations”.

At the same meeting, the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Gabriela Cuevas Barron said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has had a very important and powerful role in dialogue and peaceful settlement of disputes, as well as promotion of multilateralism in the world”.

Stating that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) proved that multilateralism and interaction are imperative for establishment of peace in the region and the world, she said, “This agreement has a very powerful content and today, the entire world knows that dialogue and interaction are important for achieving peace and stability”.

She went on to describe Iran a powerful country in the region, saying, “Today, the world should learn a lesson from Iran’s successful experience of interaction, and respect dialogue and international agreements”.

“We believe that unilateralism offers no solution to global issues,” she added, continuing that many problems cannot be resolved by a single country.

IPU President also described JCPOA a very good example of multilateralism in the international system, saying, “We hope that Europe carries out its responsibility about the JCPOA as soon as possible, because we believe that the people must not pay for the mistakes of others”.

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