TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday that Iran respects the Pope’s personality and also his stance on international issues.

In a meeting with the Vatican’s Foreign Minister Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher in Tehran, Zarif pointed to the “long-standing” and “respectful” relations between Iran and the Vatican and highlighted the need for dialogue and effective cooperation among different religions and civilizations.

He warned against the threat of extremism, which he said is not confined to a specific region in today’s world.

The Iranian foreign minister pointed to the violence against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, calling on the international community to join hands to halt the massacre and displacement of Muslims in the predominantly Buddhist country.

He also hailed the Vatican’s efforts to settle the crisis in Myanmar.

For his part, the visiting archbishop voiced the Vatican’s support for peaceful coexistence among various faiths, calling for dialogue to resolve the region’s crises and the threat of extremism.

Gallagher, who arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to meet senior Iranian officials, also pledged that the Vatican would keep up its efforts to help settle the crisis in Myanmar.

At least 123,000 Rohingya have fled from western Myanmar into neighboring Bangladesh since late last month when violence erupted in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, the UN said on Tuesday.

MH/PA