TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, who is in Germany to attend the 58th Munich Security Conference, met several foreign officials on the sidelines of the global gathering. 

Amir Abdollahian held a meeting with Slovenian President Borut Pahor to discuss the latest situation of bilateral ties and international issues of mutual interest.

During the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister pointed to the vast potentials for the expansion of bilateral ties in the economic and technical fields, expressing the Islamic Republic’s readiness to convene the joint commission between the two countries.

Amir Abdollahian stressed Tehran’s determination to create a balance in ties with different European countries and described relations with Slovenia as important.

For his part, the Slovenian president referred to his 2018 trip to Iran and meeting with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, saying the visit and the follow-up that ensued were signs of Ljubljana’s will for an all-out expansion of ties with Tehran.

The two sides exchanges views on some regional and international topics of mutual interest, including the talks in Vienna.

In addition, the Iranian foreign minister met with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, UN Secretary General António Guterres, and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

Amir Abdollahian and Baerbock discussed bilateral, regional and international issues. In this meeting, Amir Abdollahian further touched upon the history of Iran-Germany cooperation on some areas of mutual interest, and expressed Tehran’s readiness to hold a meeting of the two countries’ joint commission at the earliest opportunity.

He added Iran is prepared for the enhancement of mutual relations on economic, political, cultural and scientific fronts as well as expansion of cooperation in technical fields and between the private sectors of both countries.

The two foreign ministers also exchanged views on the latest situation of talks in Vienna.
The Iranian foreign minister reiterated that Tehran has been determined to reach a good deal since day one, adding Iran expects the European sides and all signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal to carefully keep Tehran’s red lines in mind and seek, after years of inaction, to play an effective role in restoring the legitimate rights of Iran as the party which suffered losses due to Washington’s unilateral and illegal withdrawal from the 2015 agreement.

Indian credit line for Iran
Amir Abdollahian also met with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The two sides discussed the latest developments in bilateral relations and regional and international issues of mutual interest, according to the Iranian foreign ministry.

During the meeting, the Foreign Ministers of Iran and India agreed on the development of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, regardless of the developments in Vienna.

In the meeting, referring to the vast capacities for the development and comprehensive expansion of relations between Tehran and New Delhi, Iran’s Foreign Minister emphasized Tehran's readiness to implement the projects agreed between the two countries.

Amir Abdollahian expressed satisfaction with the recovery of the Indian foreign minister from Covid-19, noting that he is planning to visit Delhi at the earliest opportunity.

Amir Abdollahian expressed his hope that during the trip, good agreements will be reached for the development and promotion of bilateral relations, and consultation on some issues of common concern in the regional arena will be made.

The Indian Foreign Minister also reaffirmed his country's determination to develop cooperation with Iran in the fields of oil, industry, agriculture and trade. The Indian foreign minister stressed India's readiness to open a credit line for economic and trade cooperation.

The foreign ministers of the two countries also exchanged views on the latest situation in Afghanistan, emphasizing the common and close views of the two countries on the need to form an inclusive government with the participation of all political groups in Afghanistan.

Appreciating Bosnia human rights support of Iran 

Amir Abdollahian also met with Bisera Turkovic, the foreign minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The foreign ministers of the two countries discussed issues of mutual interest. During the meeting, the Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina thanked the Islamic Republic for its vital support during the war years and expressed the Bosnian people's appreciation for the government and people of Iran. She explained the latest developments in Bosnia and the need for the international community to assist Bosnia in overcoming the crisis.

She also expressed her country's readiness to develop relations with Iran.

In the meeting, Amir Abdollahian appreciated Bosnia's supportive positions for Iran in international forums, including on the issue of human rights. He underlined: “The Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported territorial sovereignty and convergence in Bosnia and does not consider it right to undermine national sovereignty in Bosnia.”

During the meeting, the foreign ministers of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Bosnia discussed some projects and areas of cooperation, including the donation of vaccines by Iran to this country.

 Consular issues raised 
The Iranian foreign minister also met with his Swedish counterpart Ann Linde. During the meeting, the Foreign Ministers of of Iran and Sweden exchanged views on bilateral relations and some issues of common concern in the regional and international arenas.

Amir Abdollahian expressed his satisfaction with meeting his Swedish counterpart again after their first meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

He invited Linde to visit Tehran, which was welcomed by the Swedish side. Referring to the sensitivity of the situation in the West Asian region and the continuation of the crisis in Yemen and Afghanistan, the Iranian foreign minister stressed the situation in Yemen and said, “We are seriously concerned about the spread of the war in Yemen to the region, and the United Nations and the international community must fulfill their responsibilities to manage this situation and help resolve the Yemeni crisis.”

Referring to Iran's continuous contacts with all parties to control the crisis in Yemen, Amir Abdollahian stressed: "The Yemeni people have been in a state of war and military aggression and inhuman siege for several years, which requires special attention from the international community to end this situation." 

Referring to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the growing influx of refugees from the country, the Iranian foreign minister emphasized: “The Islamic Republic of Iran, as the host country of more than a few million Afghan refugees, cannot lonely bear the full burden of this crisis.”

Amir Abdollahian referred to the continuous efforts and role of Iran to help establish stability and security in the region, including the formation of a government in Iraq as soon as possible. He also pointed to the ongoing hopeful talks in the Persian Gulf region to ensure and stabilize stability and security by the regional countries.

He also referred to some consular issues, including Hamid Nouri, and stressed that it was unacceptable that relations between the two countries should be targeted by the conspiracies of the terrorist group of hypocrites [MEK].

The Swedish Foreign Minister also expressed satisfaction with her second meeting with her Iranian counterpart and emphasized: “Four hundred years of bilateral relations between Tehran and Stockholm and the presence of elite Iranians in Swedish society and two ministers of Iranian descent [in Sweden] indicate strong ties between the two countries.”

Expressing hope for an increase in the regular exchange of official and diplomatic delegations between the two countries, the Swedish foreign minister announced her readiness to continue the current assistance of the country to the vaccination of Afghan refugees in Iran.

She also expressed hope that issues between the countries of the region in the Persian Gulf would move towards a political solution.

The foreign ministers of the two countries also exchanged views on the latest status of the negotiations on the lifting of sanctions on Iran in Vienna.

Amir Abdollahian informed his Swedish counterpart about Iran’s principled positions in this regard and Tehran's serious will to reach a good agreement if the other parties act.

Meeting with Dutch FM

On the sidelines of the Munich conference, Amir Abdollahian also met with his Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra to discuss the state of bilateral relations and some issues of mutual concern.

Amir Abdollahian stressed the need for the two countries to work to bring the views of Tehran and Amsterdam closer and to implement the agreements between the two countries to develop ties.

Amir Abdollahian explained the latest situation of the negotiations on lifting sanctions on Iran in Vienna and exchanged views with his Dutch counterpart in this regard. He underlined the position of Iran on the need to lift all sanctions inconsistent with the nuclear deal, JCPOA, and the need to respect Iran’s red lines during the negotiations. Regarding the situation in Afghanistan and the priority of humanitarian aid and the situation of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers, the Iranian foreign minister stressed the need for the international community to fulfill its responsibilities towards the country.

Amir Abdollahian also referred to the complicated situation in Yemen and the fact that things are getting out of control there. He emphasized that the situation in Yemen is in no way in the interest of regional countries and it is necessary that all countries take responsibility and put an end to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Yemen and resolve the crisis through ending the war and military aggression and pursuing a political solution.

Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra also expressed pleasure with the meeting with Amir Abdollahian and said he hopes that he will travel to Tehran soon and exchange views and work closely with the top Iranian diplomat on the development relations as well as issues of mutual concern in the region.
Hoekstra also expressed hope that an agreement will be reached in the shortest possible time to move to a new situation, and stressed the Netherlands' readiness to expand relations and enhance cooperation with Iran.