The head of Iran-Europe parliamentary friendship group says the resolutions issued by the European Parliament against Iran have no logical basis and are disruptive to expansion of bilateral relations.
Kazem Jalali made the remarks in a meeting with Dutch Ambassador to Iran Johannes Duma on Wednesday, ICANA reported. He said, "The EU resolutions against Iran are illogical and disrupt expansion of bilateral relations." Jalali also criticized the EU Parliament for preparing the ground for the activities of some rootless Iranian opposition groups, such as the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group. Jalali referred to relations between the Majlis and the European Parliament and said, "The two parliamentary groups were holding regular sessions until some EU Parliament's stances caused the contacts to decrease." The lawmaker noted, "We are eager to host all parliamentary delegations from around the world, particularly from Europe and the Netherlands, and are keen to promote parliamentary relations on the basis of mutual respect."
Johannes Duma said, "Iran and the Netherlands enjoy longstanding relations which date back to 1626."
He reiterated, "We constantly seek expansion of relations with Iran, particularly in parliamentary affairs."
In a separate meeting in Tehran on Tuesday, Jalali held talks with British MP Richard Bacon, who is the deputy chairman of the Britain-Iran parliamentary friendship group.
The head of the Majlis Research Center called the so-called Islamic State (IS) terrorist group the illegitimate offspring of the Taliban and al Qaeda extremist groups and said, "If western countries are really resolved to fight IS, they should redefine their relations with (the countries from which) the group has adopted its ideology," ICANA reported.
Jalali reiterated, "The West's current battle against IS under the banner of a pretended coalition is a superficial fight which has dealt with the outward appearance of the terrorist group, while they enjoy a continuous and longstanding cooperation and friendship with (the countries which are) the origin of the group's ideology." He also said, "I hope the two parliaments of Iran and Britain would succeed in playing their role to strike a balance in the two countries' bilateral relations." Bacon, for his part, expressed his keen interest in the Iranian nation and said, "Despite the fact that a long time has passed from the (1979 Islamic) Revolution in Iran, the West has failed to correctly understand such a great development."
He noted, "It is obviously impossible to succeed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria without constructive cooperation of Iran." The British official praised the high level of security in Iran and said such a secure trip to Tehran is a rare experience in the Middle East region.
"Iran can play a key role in bringing stability to the region if the West considers the role of Iran in addressing regional issues more seriously," he added.
