TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has returned home after concluding a two-day visit to the Swiss city of Geneva, where he met with many foreign diplomats and officials.

In Geneva, Amir Abdollahian held a meeting with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths. In this meeting, the two sides discussed issues of mutual interest including the humanitarian situation in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Amir Abdolalhian referred to his meetings with the UN chief as well as directors of humanitarian organizations on Tuesday and Monday in Geneva, saying humanitarian issues in those countries are worthy of more attention from the international community, according to the Iranian foreign ministry.

He also highlighted Iran’s move to send relief aid to Syria following the recent earthquake there. The Iranian foreign minister said unfortunately, the quake worsened the difficult humanitarian situation in Syria compared with the past and it is necessary that the imposed blockade against Syria be lifted in order to improve conditions for the Syrian people. He added that the Islamic Republic of Iran, just as always, is ready to continue its cooperation with the United Nations and the special envoy of the UN chief for helping relieve humanitarian and hygiene hardships in Syria.

Also referring to the issue of Yemen, he said that politically speaking, the Yemen war must end and the humanitarian siege of the country must be lifted. Amir Abdollahian added, “We are in touch with different Yemeni factions, and the Yemeni people believe that the key initiative for this country would be the removal of the humanitarian siege.” Pointing to Iran's hosting of several million refugees and migrants from Afghanistan, the top diplomat noted that it is necessary to create sustainable infrastructure with the support of the UN to meet all their needs. Amir Abdollahian further spoke about Ukraine. He outlined Iran’s principled policy on the war in Ukraine, saying despite having good ties with Russia, Iran does not provide any warring side with military assistance because Tehran does not consider war as a solution and supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries including Ukraine.

Martin Griffiths for his part said he was pleased to meet Iran’s foreign minister and to be in constant touch with Iranian officials. He further thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran for supporting his mission.

He concurred with Amir Abdollahian that it is necessary to facilitate and increase relief work in Syria and Yemen. Griffiths then briefed Iran’s top diplomat on his latest efforts regarding humanitarian issues in the two countries.

He expressed optimism about the positive impact of the recent political developments on ties between Arab states and Syria and said he was hopeful that this will facilitate getting relief aid to Syria.

Griffiths described the plight of refugees as the most important humanitarian issue pertaining to Syria.

Griffiths also pointed to the negotiations between Riyadh and Sanaa, saying, “We need a comprehensive strategy to achieve lasting peace in Yemen.”

The UN Under-Secretary-General outlined his views about the situation in Afghanistan, adding that the UN wants all influential international parties to help with the humanitarian situation there.

Griffiths also gave his assessment of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, saying what the country needs above all is peace and an end to the war.

On the second busy day of his trip to Geneva, Amir Abdollahian also held a meeting with Csaba Korosi, President of the United Nations General Assembly.

During the meeting, the senior UN official thanked Iran for hosting more than 5 million Afghan refugees despite the challenges facing the Islamic Republic due to sanctions. He referred to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), expressing hope that the current consultations and contacts between the JCPOA parties will lead to the revival of this agreement as soon as possible. Korosi said the revival of JCPOA will benefit global peace and security. For his part, the top Iranian diplomat referred to the consultations held in connection with the framework of the JCPOA and said that a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency was present in Iran and that Rafael Grossi, the Director-General of the Agency, is also set to visit Iran soon. Referring to the developments in Ukraine, Amir Abdollahian emphasized Iran’s principled position regarding respect for the independence and territorial integrity of other countries. He stressed the falsity of the accusations of Iran’s military aid to Russia against Ukraine and said that there is no evidence to prove the allegations.

The President of the UN General Assembly hailed a general amnesty issued by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and said the action deserves praise.

He appreciated Iran’s high-ranking presence in the Human Rights Council and the explanation of Iran’s positions in the UN body. Amir Abdollahian also emphasized that respect for human rights is rooted in Iranian beliefs and culture, and that Iran will continue its interaction with human rights mechanisms and the High Commission for Human Rights. In the meeting, the two sides exchanged views regarding the crises facing the world community including war, food crisis, energy crisis, water crisis and humanitarian situations in the world. Korosi highlighted Iran’s great progress in the field of water management, asking the Islamic Republic to actively participate in a relevant meeting of the United Nations in March 2024. Amir Abdollahian thanked him for the invitation and said that Iran will try to have an active and influential presence in this meeting.

On February 28, the Iranian foreign minister held talks jointly with the heads and high-ranking officials of international humanitarian organizations based in the Swiss city including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister referred to the political and social situation in Afghanistan, especially over the past 1.5 years. He said the situation has sent an unprecedented influx of refugees into Iran from Afghanistan. Amirabdollahian stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran has hosted millions of displaced Afghans, immigrants and refugees for more than four decades but, unfortunately, international support has not been proportionate to the surge in costs imposed on Iran due to the entry of Afghan migrants in recent years, and very little assistance has been provided for Iran for this purpose.

He stressed that the new humanitarian crises should not cause the previous ones like Afghanistan's humanitarian issues and its consequences on neighboring countries to slip into oblivion.

The top Iranian diplomat underlined that unilateral sanctions have had a detrimental impact on the motivation of financial sponsors to undertake the burden of hosting Afghan nationals. Therefore, international organizations must take necessary measures to protect global relief aid from the sanctions which act as a barrier. Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Vitorino, Director General of the International Organization for Migration, Ramesh Rajasingham, Director of Coordination Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva, and Ms. Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who were present in the meeting, appreciated the Islamic Republic of Iran’s cooperation with international humanitarian organizations. They further underscored the need for continuing and bolstering this cooperation.

The international humanitarian officials also reaffirmed their commitment to step up efforts to fairly share the burden of hosting refugees and migrants. They also stressed the need to not let humanitarian relief operations be affected by sanctions.