By Al Ahed Staff, Agencies
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi says respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries is among the fundamental principles of the country's foreign policy, voicing the Islamic Republic's firm support for the One China policy toward Taiwan.
"Support for the One China policy is a definite and principled policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Raisi said in an hour-long phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.
He said the US interference in the internal affairs of countries is a continuation of Washington's destructive policy of unilateralism, which is "now turning into a threat to international peace and security."
In similar remarks earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country fully supports the One China policy, adding, “Our position on the existence of only one China remains unchanged.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also told reporters that Russia expresses solidarity with China on the issue of Taiwan. “We respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and believe that no country in the world should have the right to question this or take any inflammatory or other steps,” he said.
Beijing this week warned that it was “getting ready” for a possible visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which would be the first to Taiwan by a sitting US House speaker since 1997.
“We are firmly opposed to Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on Wednesday.
“If the US pushes ahead and challenges China’s bottom line... the US side will bear all the consequences,” he added.
Chinese and American presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden also had a two-hour telephone conversation on Thursday, during which the Chinese president warned his US counterpart not to play with fire regarding Taiwan.
“Those who play with fire will perish by it,” China’s foreign ministry quoted Xi as telling Biden in their fifth call as leaders. “It is hoped that the US will be clear-eyed about this.”
Under the “One China” policy, nearly all countries across the globe recognize Beijing’s sovereignty over Chinese Taipei, including the US, which has no formal diplomatic ties with the territory but continues to support its anti-China stance and supply it with massive amounts of armaments.
Also during the Friday phone conversation, Raisi told his Chinese counterpart that Tehran is resolved to expand relations with Beijing in all fields regardless of the existing international developments and said any US effort to repeat the Cold War era in the world would indicate its weakness and decline.
He said Iran's policy on the improvement of ties with its neighboring states has "prepared the necessary ground for collective security and development in West Asia and can serve as a model for strengthening political confidence and economic development in the region."
The Iranian chief executive also reiterated the country's efforts to provide maritime security and transfer of energy.
Pointing to the talks between Iran and the P4+1 group of countries on possible ways to revive the 2015 agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA], Raisi said as the party that breached the agreement, the United States should make a "political decision" and adopt all the necessary measures to remove illegal sanctions against Tehran and the third parties.
The Iranian president welcomed the promotion of multilateral economic cooperation in line with regional and extra-regional arrangements such as the powerful group of the world’s emerging economies, known as BRICS, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Raisi and Xi hailed increasing mutual ties and trade exchanges over the past year and agreed on ways to speed up the implementation of the 25-year strategic partnership agreement between Tehran and Beijing.
Xi said Iran plays a constructive role in maintaining stability in the region and voiced his country's opposition to the policy of pressure and unilateralism.
He said in face of the complex international situation, China and Iran have strengthened solidarity and cooperation, enhanced their common interests, and safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries.
He underscored the importance of strategic relations between Tehran and Beijing and said China stands ready to work with Iran to push for new progress in the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
The Chinese president urged the two countries to continue to firmly support one another on issues concerning their core interests and issues of major concerns, saying Tehran and Beijing need to maintain close communication on the implementation of their comprehensive cooperation plans.
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