Tehran, March 09: Iranian Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani has warned against the West’s opportunism in the Middle East and underscored the importance of establishing real democracies to settle regional problems.
“The establishment of real democracies is the only way to resolve many problems in the region,” said Larijani in a Tuesday meeting with India’s National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon in the Iranian capital city of Tehran.
He added that the ongoing developments in the Middle East and North African countries are the outcome of the West’s “arrogant” policies in the region for a long period of time,
“Phenomena such as terrorism are the result of arrogant policies and dictatorial governments in the region,” Larijani pointed out and emphasized that democratic governments would prevent the spread of regional terrorism.
The Iranian speaker said the time for imposing policies on Muslim nations has come to an end, adding, “Muslims seek their own rights and world powers should respect this historic demand.”
He stressed that the region’s people have no more confidence on world powers and highlighted the importance of remaining vigilant about the West’s opportunistic approach to the current events.
Larijani praised the growing relations between Iran and India and said the two countries have great potential to further strengthen mutual cooperation.
For his part, the Indian official said that Iran and India, as two major powers in the region, share common interests and called for the speedy implementation of economic agreements already signed between the two countries.
He also expressed India’s support for Iran’s peaceful nuclear program and emphasized that sanctions against the Islamic Republic would not work.
—Agencies