Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has called for the expansion of cooperation between the Islamic Republic and China in the battle against terrorism in the Middle East and East Asia.
Speaking in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Monday, the Iranian president said extremism and violence pose a serious danger to the Middle East as well as East Asia.
Pointing to China’s capacities for the settlement of regional issues, the Iranian president said Beijing can take action to resolve the crisis in Yemen, which is threatened by a “catastrophic humanitarian situation” as a result of Saudi Arabia’s airstrikes against the impoverished nation.
Saudi Arabia started its military aggression against Yemen on March 26 – without a UN mandate – in a bid to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and restore power to fugitive former Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.
Over 6,000 Yemenis have so far lost their lives in the airstrikes, according to a report released on September 19 by Yemen’s Civil Coalition.
Elsewhere in his remarks, President Rouhani praised China’s constructive role in the success of the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries.
The Iranian president also said that Beijing can play a significant role in implementing the JCPOA.
On July 14, Iran and the P5+1 – the US, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany – finalized the agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in the Austrian capital, Vienna.
China ‘willing to help resolve Yemeni crisis’
During the Monday meeting, President Xi, for his part, said the nuclear agreement has resulted in the recognition of Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy and the promotion of peace and stability in the Middle East.
China has always supported Iran’s right to use peaceful nuclear technology, he said, calling for the expansion of bilateral cooperation in various fields, including energy.
Touching upon the crisis in Yemen, the Chinese president said his country has constantly supported a political settlement of the conflict.
Xi described Iran as an influential country in the region, saying Beijing is willing to help resolve Yemen’s conflict in cooperation with the Islamic Republic.