TEHRAN— Seyyed Kamal Kharrazi, President of the Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, has touched on numerous issues at the first Iran-Arabs World Conference.

Speaking at the conference initiated by the Al-Jazeera Al-Darasat Institute in Doha, Kharrazi said, “The purpose of this meeting is to achieve a common understanding of the challenges and opportunities in relations between Iranians and Arabs in the current world.”

Referring to the services and mutual relations between Iran and the Arabs throughout the history of Islam and emphasizing that the great Islamic civilization is the pride of Iranians and Arabs, he said what is important now is a lesson to be learned from the formation of this civilization. 

Kharrazi stated that Iran, above all, has a civilized view of the Islamic world and never separates itself from other Muslim nations, especially its Arab-speaking neighbors.

He then said the Islamic Republic system in Iran is based on “unity and coalition of Islamic nations.” 

The former foreign minister added, “Iran is trying to cooperate with other countries in the region in order to develop the West Asian region and at a broader level, the Islamic world. This is not a cross-cutting policy, but a principled policy based on the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Explaining that the strategic policy of Iran in West Asian is that “security” and “development” are interconnected and inseparable concepts, Kharrazi continued, “Politics is based on three basic approaches: First, security is a matter which is interconnected and has a direct relationship with the security of other countries in the region. Second, security is not a commodity that can be purchased, but is achieved in the process of collective interaction and cooperation. Finally, economic relations with the countries of the region are an important factor in ensuring regional security.

He then pointed to Iran’s opposition to the presence of foreigners, particularly the United States and the Israeli regime, in the region, saying this policy is precisely in line with the protection of the security of the entire region.

“History has shown that the presence of foreign forces in the region has always led to successive conflicts and even war,” he added. 
“From Iran's point of view, the security of the Persian Gulf and each of its countries is considered the security of Iran, and insecurity in any part of it is considered the insecurity of Iran,” noted Kharrazi, who was Iran’s foreign minister from 1997-2005. 

Kharrazi underlined that Iran has always emphasized dialogue as an effective way to clear up misunderstandings, resolve disputes and find a way to strengthen affinities. Therefore, he said, the best solution to security-wise problems in the West Asian region and the Persian Gulf is to increase fraternal, but frank dialogue between the countries of the region. 

The former Iranian envoy to the United Nations described initiatives such as HOPE (the Hormuz Peace Endeavour) by Iran or prioritizing “neighborhood policy” as “signs of the determination and seriousness of the Islamic Republic of Iran in strengthening and expanding its relations with its southern neighbors and Persian Gulf Cooperation Council countries.”

According to Kharrazi, there is a similar mutual interest in the countries of the region, such as the efforts of the governments of Qatar, Oman and Iraq to establish peace. 

“We firmly believe that all capacities should be used to strengthen bilateral and multilateral regional relations. Undoubtedly, promoting good neighborliness and establishing mechanisms for regional cooperation will increase the role of the regional countries at the international level,” he underscored. 

Iran-Saudi Arabia can complete each other’s capacity to ensure peace

Elsewhere in his speech, the chief of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations described Iran-Saudi relations, the Yemeni crisis, Iran's view of Iraq, and the Palestinian issue as four central issues in Iran-Arab relations.

“Iran and Saudi Arabia cannot have a holistic view of each other and as the two main powers in the region can complement each other's capacities to ensure peace and stability and development in the region. The two countries have chosen the path of dialogue to resolve their differences by participating in five rounds of talks facilitated with the efforts of the Iraqi government,” he noted. 

Regarding Iran-Saudi relations, Kharrazi said Tehran attaches great importance to Saudi Arabia as a major country in the region. 

Clarifying on the issue of Yemen, he noted that the crisis in Yemen is one of the most important concerns in the region. 

“This crisis is not just a result of Yemen's internal conflicts, and Iran has always believed that the Yemeni issue has no military solution, a fact that everyone now acknowledges after seven years of war and destruction. We have made great efforts to prevent the killing of the innocent people of Yemen and to replace this bloody conflict with peaceful solutions. 

Establishing ceasefire, lifting the siege, providing an atmosphere for Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue and finally forming a government based on the will of the Yemeni people has been the principled position of the Islamic Republic of Iran since the beginning of the war in Yemen and Iran continues to strive for its realization,” he underscored. 

Iran considers existence of a secure Iraq in its interest

Regarding Iran’s third major issue in the Arab world, Kharrazi said Iran supports the formation of a strong, popular government in Iraq, as the security of Iraq and Iran are interdependent. 
“We consider the existence of a secure and strong Iraq to be in the interest of Iran's security and the security of the entire region, and we believe that Iraq's positive role in regional developments will contribute to the formation of a collective security system in the region. Therefore, we encourage all Iraqi political currents to agree to form a government in that country,” he added. 

There is no limit to Israelis’ crimes

In another part of his remarks, the former foreign minister touched on the issue of Palestine as the chief headache of the Islamic Ummah. 

“The Israeli regime continues to violate the rights of the Palestinians, so that in recent days we have witnessed the targeted killing of the brave Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh by the Israeli forces and once again the Zionists showed that there is no limit to their crimes and even journalists are not safe from being killed,” He lamented. 

According to Kharrazi, it is unfortunate that while the Arab countries are expected to defend the oppressed nation of Palestine in the face of the crimes of the Israeli regime, some have put the normalization of relations with this regime on their agenda. 

“The Islamic Republic of Iran emphasizes that letting the Zionist regime into the Persian Gulf region will not lead to stability and security, because the Zionist regime has no goal other than creating conflict in the region and distancing the Persian Gulf countries from each other. In any case, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not allow the occupying regime of Quds to nest in this region,” he underscored. 

Indigenous peaceful nuclear technology in line with Iran’s national interest

In the last part of the forum, Kharrazi answered the host's questions. 

In response to a question about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the official name for the 2015 nuclear deal, he stated, “We have achieved nuclear technology without foreign dependence, and we consider the development of indigenous peaceful nuclear technology to be in our national interest.”

He reiterated that others are not allowed to determine whether Iran has the right to acquire nuclear technology. 

“Iran has repeatedly stated that it only intends to use nuclear energy peacefully. In the current negotiations between Iran and Western countries, there are few issues that need to be resolved. Mora, the EU special envoy, recently arrived in Iran and the way was paved for the continuation of the talks,” he concluded.