TEHRAN(Basirat): Former Foreign Minister of Iran and Head of Strategic Council on Foreign Relations Seyed Kamal Kharazi says Islamic Republic is prepared to cooperate with other countries both bilaterally and multilaterally to solve the problems of region and help develop the regional stability and security.
Giving a lecture on ‘Emerging Regional and Global Scenario: A
Perspective from Iran’ at Pakistan’s Institute for Policy Studies in
Islamabad, he said it is imperative for countries to cooperate with each
other and contribute to the stability of the region.
"I have sincere feelings for the people of Pakistan that can never be substituted,” he said.
He
added during the recent decade several unexpected events have happened
in the world each with important consequences. "One of these
developments was the Islamic Revolution in 1979 which had deep regional
and global impacts,” he said.
The official went on to say that
collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of cold war was another
incident which ended the two-block global system and despite the
American designs to impose its hegemonic leadership, the world moved
towards multi-polar system and as a result the regional powers have
played more significant role, with some following own way and some
following the will of the world powers.
"Another development was
the emergence of economic powers like China, India in Asia and finally
the Arab Revolutions in Middle East which created regional stability,”
he noted.
Seyed Kamal Kharazi expressing his views said that
after the Islamic Revolution the Iranian strategy moved from
pro-American policy to independent pro-Islamic policy, support of
Palestinians in their struggle and friendship with other Islamic
countries has been Iranian foreign policy’s top priority.
He
added that this wide spread transformation of Iran has triggered wide
spread hostility of the West against Iran led by the United States and
followed by those countries in the region that were dependent on the
United States.
"Various plots were carried out against Iran from
eight years of war to heavy sanctions but since then the leaders and
people of Iran resisted all of these plots,” he said.
The expert
on international affairs said that the United States and Zionist regime
have always tried to defeat the Islamic Republic but their plots turned
out to be contrary to their whishes.
He said that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is standing on its feet and playing a positive role as a regional power.
The
official said the close cooperation between China and Russia on the one
hand and the proximity of the United States and India on the other to
counter China have been one of the important post-cold war developments
in Asia.
Kharazi said the politics of current American president
which contradicts the European policies has ended up in confusion.
"The Europeans cannot give up their strategic relations with the United
States nor can they follow the policies of Mr. Trump and his
administration,” said the Iranian foreign policy expert.
He added
that these developments have provided an opportunity for greater
proximity between China and Russia and at the same time Iran looks for
more cooperation with the two countries to confront US hostile politics
while trying to develop its relations with Europe, India and Pakistan
based on international interests.
"Pakistan too as an important
South Asian country which has been considered as ally to West is getting
closer to China and has improved its relations with Russia while trying
to maintain its strategic relations with the United States,” said the
expert.
The official added that some countries of Persian
Gulf having disputes among themselves continue to be politically
dependent on the United States, established relations with the Zionist
regime and intervene in other countries’ internal affairs.
Kharazi
said that Arab revolutions which started from North Africa and spread
to Middle East and southern countries of the Persian Gulf created
instability and power vacuum in the region.
He was of the
opinion that activities of terrorists and extremists were intensified in
the region and the United States and its allies trained, armed and
reinforced Takfiri groups in Syria in order to topple the legitimate
Syrian government.
He said Daesh recruited 80,000 troops of
which 20,000 were foreigners from 80 countries and occupied some part of
Syria and Iraq and that under these circumstances Iran rushed to Syria
and Iraq with an aim to maintain status quo, stability and territorial
integrity of those countries.
"We supported those governments
because we knew that the terrorists would create problems for the whole
region including Iran and even other parts of the world,” he added.
The
former foreign minister said that unfortunately our intelligence
indicates that some southern Persian Gulf States and the United States
are involved in transforming these groups to other areas.
"Iranians
have scarified themselves in fighting the terrorists in Syria and
Iraq,” he said. The expert said that the countries that support
terrorism give hundreds of billions of dollars to the United States to
buy its support.
Kharazi expressing his views said that it is
imperative for countries to cooperate with one another and contribute to
the stability of the region. "Iran is prepared to cooperate with other
countries both bilaterally and multilaterally in order to solve the
problems of the region and help develop the regional stability and
security.
Director General of IPS Khalid Rahman and former Foreign secretary Shamshad Ahmed Khan also spoke on the occasion.
A large number of scholars, diplomats, retired army officers, researchers and students attended the event.