The former ambassador to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said it is necessary that Iran and Saudi Arabia hold negotiations on the basis of their similarities.
“Despite the existing differences, Iran and Saudi Arabia should hold consultations based on their common grounds,” Hamidreza Dehqani said in an interview with ISNA published on Sunday.
Referring to the impact of any rapprochement in Iran-Saudi Arabia relations on the conditions in other Islamic countries, he said if the two countries have firm resolve for cooperation and dialogue, it will definitely be beneficial to the whole world of Islam.
The former envoy to the OIC pointed to the current administrations in Iran and Saudi Arabia and said, “The improvement of Iran-Saudi Arabia relations is dependent on a number of variables which make it impossible to exactly foresee the future of their relations, but their relations can influence the two states, the region and the entire Muslim world.”
Blight of Islamophobia
Stressing the importance of cooperation between Islamic countries against terrorism and Islamophobia in the region, Dehqani said, “One of the major challenges facing the Muslim world over the past years has been the blight of Islamophobia,” adding that the hostilities of the Zionists and western powers have played a major role in creation of the phenomenon.
He touched on the thoughts and beliefs which have no roots in the genuine teachings of Islam and the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and his Household as a reason behind the current critical situation in the region, which can be traced in some groups, such as al Qaeda in the world, the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Boko Haram in Africa and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. He went on to say that some of these groups have the least relations with Islam; and on the contrary they have connections with some foreign forces, such as the US and other western countries, and some Islamic countries which provide them with financial and logistic support.
On the differences between Iran and Saudi Arabia as two major regional powers, he said, “If we can bring closer together the views of influential Islamic countries, such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, then we will be able to fulfill the objectives of the organization (OIC).”
