Iran, Persian Gulf states should start dialogue - Lavrov

MOSCOW, July 3. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen confirmed the necessity to start dialogue between Iran and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. "We stated with alarm the persistent lack of proper regulation of conflicts, in some cases even the escalation of the situation in some Islamic states," the Russian minister said at a joint press conference with the OIC secretary-general. "We expressed concerns over the growing tensions in the Persian Gulf zone. We spoke of the Iranian factor affecting regional political processes." "We confirmed our proposal that the Arabs and Iran should start dialogue for the consolidation of confidence, transparency of military activity and for negotiations on the development of the structure of collective security in this region involving the Arab states and Iran and with heavy support from the international community, including the League of Arab States and the OIC," Lavrov highlighted. The Russian foreign minister added that the meeting also focused on the need to urgently settle other conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. "We share the opinion that it has to be done with solely peaceful methods through an inclusive dialogue based on international law," the minister concluded. "It is necessary to build up a persistent and uncompromising fight against terrorism in all its forms." Read more