TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday said it is regrettable that the European Union is somehow passive in the face of Israel’s “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza and violation of Lebanon’s territory.

“It is regrettable that despite the commission of horrible crimes and genocide against Palestinian people and invasion of Lebanon the European Union has taken no tangible step to counter the Israeli regime’s law-breakings and crimes,” Araghchi said in a telephone conversation with Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.

Araghchi said the root of the crisis in the West Asia region lies in the Zionist regime’s “warmongering and genocide”.

Valtonen and Araghchi also exchanged views on the situation in the West Asia region, international developments, and ties between Finland and Iran.

For her part, Valtonen expressed sorrow over the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and Lebanon, saying, “I hope that peace and stability will return to the region as soon as possible.

She added, “The halting of violence entails the continuation of dialogue and interaction between all (warring) sides.”