Diplomat:

Iran views dialogue as sole way out of Mideast crises

Rasa - Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari says the Islamic Republic considers dialogue as the only way to resolve the crises in the Middle East, stressing that Tehran maintains its political approach in that regard.

News ID: 423565

Date: 15 September 2016 - 22:10

RNA - Jaberi Ansari made the remarks in a press conference in Moscow on Thursday as he was concluding his three-day visit to the Russian capital.

“Iran views negotiation as the sole way out of the Middle East crises and the political strategy of the Islamic Republic will continue in this path,” he said.

The conflicts in the Arab Middle Eastern countries have no military solution and should be settled in a political way as well as talks between warring sides, the official further noted.

He highlighted that regular consultations between Tehran and Moscow is more urgent than ever concerning the extent and depth of developments in the Middle East.

Jaberi Ansari made the comments after holding a four-hour meeting with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, during which the two sides discussed the situation in Syria, the crisis in Yemen, and developments in Iraq, Bahrain, Palestine and Libya.

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement, saying that the two diplomats had exchanged views on the situation in Syria after the latest ceasefire came into effect as well as fighting terrorist groups active in the Arab country and the need for facilitating Syrians’ access to humanitarian aid.

They also described the truce as significant and called on all parties to continue abiding by the cessation of hostilities, according to the statement.

They further underlined the need for the resumption of peace talks on Syria as soon as possible and the necessity of continuing Tehran-Moscow consultations about important regional issues, the statement added.

Jaberi Ansari also met with Lieutenant-General Leonid Reshetnikov, director of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies.

The meeting came three days after the Russia-US brokered Syria ceasefire went into effect.

The seven-day truce was agreed after marathon talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry in the Swiss city of Geneva as part of a bid to end the conflict in Syria.

The ceasefire is the second attempt this year by Washington and Moscow to bring an end to the crisis, which started in March 2011.

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