Iranian FM Amirabdollahian meets with Lebanese counterpart in Beirut

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who is on a trip to Lebanon, met and talked with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bouhabib on Friday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who is on a trip to Lebanon, met and talked with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bouhabib on Friday.

 

The Iranian minister of foreign affairs said, “The situation in the region requires us to consult and hold talks continuously.”

 

He added, “Iran wants nothing for Lebanon but more prosperity and welfare, and we are happy to witness more security and stability in Lebanon.”

 

Amirabdollahian emphasized that Lebanon is the heart of the region and any situation in Lebanon affects the entire region.

 

The Iranian Foreign Minister expressed hope that electing a new president will be finalized as soon as possible with an agreement between the Lebanese parties.

 

He added that the election of a president and the formation of a new government will be an important step for Lebanon and the region.

 

The head of Iran’s diplomatic body said that the region is witnessing a new stage and all parties are trying to replace conflicts with understanding.

 

“We are also witnessing positive developments in the relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and our assessment of the relationship between the two countries is positive, and this process will have a positive impact on the entire region and Lebanon,” he added.

 

The Iranian foreign minister said that the Zionist regime is the enemy of the entire region and its stability and security, and “we believe that any normalization of relations with the Zionist regime will be detrimental to the region.”

 

Amirabdollahian also said that economic relations between Iran and Lebanon are important and should be given more attention.

 

He emphasized that US sanctions cannot hinder the economic relations between Iran and Lebanon, as the sanctions could not hinder Iran’s cooperation with Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

 

“Therefore, we hope that Iran’s proposals for the development of economic relations with Lebanon will be taken into consideration. In this regard, Iranian companies are ready to contribute to solving the electricity problem in Lebanon. We are also ready to hold a joint economic cooperation commission between the two countries in Tehran immediately after the formation of a new government in Lebanon,” he noted.

 

The Iranian minister of foreign affairs also said, “We witnessed an inappropriate action by some European countries regarding the desecration of the Holy Quran and other holy books, and you are aware of Iran’s efforts, including the joint action by Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia to hold an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and soon with the follow-up by Iran and some other Islamic countries, we will witness an online meeting of the speakers of parliaments of Muslim states on the issue. The initiative was supported today by the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Mr. Nabih Berri.”

 

“We hope that with your help and all Islamic countries, we will not witness any insult to the holy books of any of the divine religions,” he said.

 

Amirabdollahian invited Bouhabib to travel to Tehran.

 

During the meeting, Lebanese Foreign Minister Bouhabib in turn thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran for supporting Lebanon and said that “Iran is our dear and friendly country. Therefore, we always welcome you in Lebanon and we are always interested in developing relations with Iran.”

 

He added, “There are many fields of cooperation with Iran, and we hope that with the formation of a new government in Lebanon, we will be able to use these positive fields to strengthen the ties even more.”

 

The Lebanese Foreign Minister also said, “We are happy with the progress in Iran-Saudi relations and we welcome it and consider it in the interest of Lebanon and the region.”

 

Bouhabib said, “We condemned the insult to the Quran and sanctities and we seriously support the initiative by Islamic countries to create deterrence in this regard.”