Iran-Saudi agreement to put positive effect on region: FM
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has said that Iran-Saudi Arabia's agreement to normalize relations will have a positive effect both on the region, including Lebanon.
Amirabdollahian made the remarks while addressing a press conference in Beirut on Friday.
Besides the positive effects that the Iran-Saudi agreement can have on Lebanon and the region, we believe the Lebanese officials, leaders, and political parties have the required competence and capability to choose their president and complete the political procedure till achieving an ideal status, he said.
The top Iranian diplomat said that in meetings with high-ranking Lebanese officials, he has emphasized that Iran will support any agreement among the Lebanese parties and politicians for electing their president.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has adopted the policy of strengthening its relations with its neighboring countries as the main axis of its foreign diplomacy, Amirabdollahian added.
He said the Islamic Republic of Iran has not, and will not have any interference in the Lebanese election, and will support any personality that the Lebanese will agree upon, adding, "I have several times emphasized that the Lebanese politicians and political parties are quite competent in electing their country's president.
"Before this visit, too, in my recent visits to Lebanon I had heard from some Lebanese officials that once Iran-Saudi relations will return back to normal, some of Lebanon's problems too, will be resolved, but yesterday I told some Saudi officials now that the Tehran-Riyadh relations are normalized, how come agreement in Lebanon is not reached yet? But I believe that is because electing their president is an internal affair," added the foreign minister.
On the latest developments in Syria, Amirabdollahian said that parallel with the Iran-Saudi negotiations, Riyadh and Damascus, too, were proceeding with their security talks, and an important agreement between those countries on normalizing relations and return of Syria to the Arab League was reached simultaneously.
He said that Iran welcomes those developments, as the openings in Syria's foreign relations with regional countries prove that the policy of toppling the Damascus government, which was backed up by the Zionist regime of Israel has faced full defeat.
On the latest developments in a prisoner exchange with the United States, Amirabdollahian said, "6 months ago a British diplomat lady was introduced to us by the American as their representative. Iran considers the prisoner exchange as a humanitarian issue, so a written agreement was reached between the representative of Iran and the introduced US representative, in which no time limit or need to do it as soon as possible is indicated."
He said that due to some concerns of the Americans implementing that written agreement was delayed for some months, but during the past weeks it was updated and put on the agenda of the issues to be done as soon as possible, and "we insist that it must be implemented better sooner than later".
The top Iranian diplomat turning back to Iran-Lebanon relations said that strengthening bilateral economic and tourism cooperation was on the agenda of discussions with the Lebanese officials, and in the meeting with the secretary general of Hezbollah he was informed about the resistance movement's new strategy for ensuring Lebanon's security.
"I also had talks with Lebanese officials, about whose details I will inform the press after reaching progress and implementation period," he added.
Amirabdollahian said that the region has reached a new era of dialogues and cooperation, emphasizing that Iran is opposed to the presence of foreign forces and military barracks in the region. New developments in the international order are underway, and such developments are proceeding at high speed, which calls for numerous initiatives, including new regional initiatives, and the people of this region are capable of providing regional security in the framework of regional cooperation.
He said that the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Iraq played a decisive role in the process of Iran-Saudi negotiations, adding, "My visit to Lebanon is within the framework of regional consultations."