Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated that Tehran has not established any direct contact with the ruling groups in Syria following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government in early December, The Caspian Post reports citing IRNA.
Baghaei said during a weekly press conference on Monday that Iran had been in contact with Syrian opposition groups for a long time before the fall of the Assad government.
He said that the Islamic Republic has told the groups that its presence in Syria was to prevent the advance of the ISIS group and the spread of terrorism to the regional countries.
The diplomat said that attempts by certain actors to undermine relations between different countries.
In response to a question whether the ruling group of Syria has sent a message via Türkiye to Iran, Baghaei said that Iran uses multilateral meetings to discuss various issues, adding that the issue of Syria has been on the agenda of talks between Iran and Türkiye.
Iran's position is to preserve the sovereignty and integrity of Syria and to help the Syrian people determine their destiny without foreign interference, he said, adding that it is important for Syria not to become a safe haven for terrorists.
The spokesman underlined that all sides involved in Syria tell their own stories; meanwhile, Iran believes that all regional states should be careful not to normalize the Israeli regime’s psychological war which he said is meant to create tension in the region.
He went on to stress that Iran will act powerfully to defend itself in the region.
He said that the US military is stationed in Syria, adding that this could disrupt the process of maintaining the integrity and national sovereignty of the Arab country.
About the presence of some opposition groups in Syria and the possibility of the return of insecurity, Baghaei said the issue has always been Iran’s major concern during the past 13 years.
Baghaei expressed hope that Syria’s transition process will take place in a proper manner and the country can prevent the spread of insecurity to other parts of the region.
About the killing of an Iranian Embassy staffer in Syria, the spokesman said Tehran is pursuing the case.
Israel's violation of Palestine's environmental rights
Baghaei said that the UN General Assembly has been mentioning the Zionist regime's responsibility for environmental issues since 2007, adding that Palestinian natural resources have been violated and the recent resolution is in line with the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
He added that another resolution issued by the UNGA in recent days has urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an advisory opinion on the Zionist regime's policy of stopping the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
No action has been taken to implement the six provisional measures of the ICJ to halt the genocide of the Zionist regime so far, the spokesman said.
D-8 Summit in Cairo
The spokesman said that D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation has been active for nearly three decades and creates a structure for political and economic cooperation among its members.
He said that the recent D-8 meeting in Cairo was also a good opportunity to negotiate with other participating officials,
Baghaei described Egypt as an important country in the Islamic and Arab world, adding that Iran tends to establish relations with regional countries that are willing to establish relations with Iran.
He said that negotiations between Iran and E3 will continue with agreement between the parties, adding that in a first meeting last month, the parties agreed to hold another meeting which he said will probably be held in mid-January.
Azerbaijan’s membership in D-8
Baghaei said that Iran has approved of Azerbaijan’s request to become a member of the D-8 within the framework of its policy on good neighborliness.
He expressed hope that Azerbaijan’s accession to the D-8 could help promote relations between Islamic countries.
Iranian nationals murdered in France
The spokesman expressed sympathy with the families of the two Iranian nationals who were killed in France last week.
Baghaei said the reason behind the killing is unclear, adding that Tehran is following up on the case through its contacts with Paris.
He said the suspect is arrested, adding that Iran expects the French legal and security bodies to immediately clarify the issue.
Iran-Turkey relations
Baghaei said that Turkey is an important neighbor of Iran, adding that relations between Tehran and Ankara have been based on good neighborliness.
He said that both sides will continue to exchange views on issues that they probably hold different stances on.
Iraq’s PMF
As to the foreign pressures on the dissolution of the PMF in Iraq, Baghaei said that the Iraqi people fought very bravely to root out ISIS terrorists in their country, adding that the nation will make a decision on the issue considering the risks and threats that it is facing.
He said that some foreign actors seek to impose a decision on Iraq but this is certainly unacceptable.
Nuclear talks
The spokesman said that Iran has never left the negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPO, adding that the country will decide on the future of talks by considering the behavior of other parties to the deal.
