Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held talks with his Czech counterpart Lubomir Zaoralek, who arrived in Tehran on Saturday at the head of a high-ranking political and economic delegation including over 60 private sector investors.
Speaking at a joint press conference after the meeting, Zarif stated, "Terrorism is among the gravest dangers threatening the world and the current wave of refugees toward Europe [fleeing deadly conflicts gripping the Middle East and North Africa] is the direct consequence of such extremism."
Expressing concern over the bleak future of thousands of innocent asylum seekers, Zarif noted, "This issue has not been addressed humanely. Iran has been hosting millions of refugees from its neighboring states over the last three decades.
Nonetheless, Europeans have made such a fuss over [far smaller numbers] of them."
According to Zaoralek, it is time that the world united to tackle the issue; moreover, lives of innocent migrants should not be sacrificed for achieving certain political objectives. "Although there is a considerable untapped commercial potential between Tehran and Prague, the current trade volume between the two states is not satisfactory at all," he reiterated.
Highlighting the historic relations between Iran and the Czech Republic in industrial and economic areas, Zaoralek described his trip to Isfahan and talks with businessmen there as fruitful.
Praising Iran's key role in fighting drug trafficking, the top Czech diplomat expressed hope that the recent international agreement on Iran's nuclear program would pave the way for enhanced relations between Tehran and western states.
On the highlights of his recent regional trips, Zarif noted, "We held talks with major players in the region in the hope of restoring peace to the region."
The foreign minister believes extremism is a threat jeopardizing all Middle East states, which is why it is necessary to learn a lesson from past mistakes and rectify the situation by adopting proper policies.
