Amir-Abdollahian: Russia, China not Iran’s only choices
Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran “will never allow Russia or China to think that they are our only choices.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian reiterated Tehran’s firm determination to safeguard the country’s national interests and independence following a joint statement issued last week by the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Russia that challenged Iran’s sovereignty over the three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also visited Saudi Arabia last year, where he also sat down with leaders of the PGCC countries. They issued a joint statement, which contained several clauses that directly dealt with Iranian affairs, its nuclear program, and its regional activities, according to Press TV.
The Iranian minister said Iran would maintain its relations with countries while pursuing its “Look to Asia” policy, but hastened to add that the Islamic Republic “will never allow Russia or China to think that they are our only choices.” Iran interacts with Russia and China based on its own interests and would never let them harm Iran’s independence, national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Amir-Abdollahian said.
Trade ties with neighbors, Europe
Iran’s foreign minister said despite the sanctions imposed by the United States, Iran succeeded in increasing the value of its trade with its neighbors to more than $90 billion.
He said that Iran had also raised its economic exchanges with European countries in spite of certain political
challenges.
Amir-Abdollahian noted that Iran has maintained its ties with Britain, Germany and France – the three European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal – but argued that Europe is not confined only to these three countries.
“There are other large sectors in Europe that we interact with without any challenge,” the Iranian minister said.
Membership in SCO, BRICS
Elsewhere in his remarks, Iran’s foreign minister said the country’s full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and potential accession to the BRICS group of emerging economies will promote multilateralism and counter unilateral policies, including sanctions.
At the end of the 23rd virtual summit of the SCO Council of Heads of States on July 4, Iran gained full membership in the world’s largest regional organization in terms of geographic scope and population.
Pointing to Iran’s potential accession to BRICS, he said that Iran’s potential membership in the five-state bloc would provide the country with an opportunity to make use of great capacities from Africa to Asia, Latin America and other countries.
Iran-Saudi ties
Referring to the opening of a new chapter in Iran-Saudi Arabia relations, Amir-Abdollahian said restoration of ties between Tehran and Riyadh would secure mutual interests and result in positive outcomes for the entire region.
The top Iranian diplomat dismissed the notion that Tehran and Riyadh have reached just an economic agreement, explaining that the two sides agreed to improve mutual relations and investment through sustainable economic cooperation despite different political views in some areas.
Following several days of intensive negotiations in Beijing, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed on March 10 to resume their diplomatic ties and reopen their embassies within two months.
During the Tuesday interview, Amir-Abdollahian also pointed to the situation in Afghanistan, saying that any development in Afghanistan can have impacts on Iran’s security.
“Any instability in Afghanistan has a direct impact on our border areas,” he said, describing the massive influx of Afghan refugees into Iran as one of the Islamic Republic’s “serious” challenges.