German Foreign Ministry Political Director Clemens Von Goetze and his accompanying delegation held talks with Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on late Wednesday.
As part of their discussions on the latest developments in West Asia, the two officials reviewed the situation in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain, ISNA reported.
Referring to the threats posed by terrorism and extremism to regional and international peace and security, the two officials called for “political solutions to regional crises.”
Amir-Abdollahian said Iran had warned of the adverse consequences of the “instrumental use of terrorism” in the region, adding that some countries’ negligence and support for terrorists have created a situation in which people from over one hundred nationalities have joined terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.
He continued, “The decision to train and arm moderate opposition groups in Syria is yet another mistake which will make (finding) political solutions more doubtful.”
The deputy foreign minister touched on Iran’s strong response to terrorism and said the “collective participation” of the world community is required to root out such an “evil phenomenon”.
Goetze praised Iran’s effective measures in the fight against terrorism and called continued consultations between the two countries helpful.
The German Foreign Ministry official described political means as the only solution to the crisis in Syria and called for dialogue among various Syrian groups as a significant step toward this end.
The two officials called for seeking political solutions for the crises in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain.
Lebanon Standoff
In a separate meeting in Tehran on the same day, Head of the French Foreign Ministry’s Middle East and North Africa Department Jean-Francois Girault held talks with Amir-Abdollahian.
The latest developments in regional countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain, were reviewed in the meeting.
According to ISNA, the two diplomats expressed their support for political solutions in addressing regional crises and called for a prompt solution to help end the political deadlock in Lebanon which has left the Arab country without a president for months.
They also called on the countries which have friendly ties with Lebanon to make efforts to bring the views of various Lebanese political groups closer together to help resolve the crisis.
They expressed concern over the rise of takfiri terrorist groups in the region and stressed the need to seriously address regional challenges.
A takfiri is a Muslim who accuses another Muslim of heresy. Stressing a political solution to the Syrian crisis, the two diplomats described as necessary a campaign against corruption and terrorism in Yemen, which is facing a long period of political instability.
The two foreign ministry officials agreed to continue bilateral consultations on the challenges facing the Middle East region.
