Arms, financial aid to terrorist groups must end: Iran official

Iranian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Morteza Sarmadi says arms and financial assistance to terrorist groups operating in the Middle East region must stop.

Sarmadi made the remarks in an address to the 5th foreign ministerial meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in the Chinese capital of Beijing on Thursday.

He lamented that terrorism, extremism, sectarianism, separatism and savage acts by Takfiri elements have spread across the region and Asia, and caused problems.

The Iranian official urged collective efforts to combat Takfiri and terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria.

Sarmadi added that strengthening cooperation, promoting peace, interaction and dialog among civilizations as well as respecting the diversity of views and political will of countries are among the main necessities for combat against terrorism and extremism.

Diplomacy best solution to differences

The Iranian vice minister also said the implementation of Iran's nuclear agreement with world powers, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the ensuing lifting of cruel and pointless sanctions against Tehran proved that diplomacy is the best way to settle differences among countries.

“This agreement led to solidarity and cohesion in the region and paved the way for cooperation, interaction and confidence-building in the Asian continent,” Sarmadi said.

He added that Iran is currently a “very appropriate” base for bilateral and multilateral cooperation and investment in infrastructure projects in the sectors of energy, science and technology, which Asian countries seriously need.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia – plus Germany started implementing the JCPOA on January 16. The two sides signed the agreement on July 14, 2015 following two and a half years of intensive talks.

Under the JCPOA, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the US would be lifted. Iran has, in return, put some limitations on its nuclear activities.

Sarmadi said Iran is committed to boosting cooperation and interaction among Asian countries, particularly among CICA members.

CICA is a multi-national forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia. It is a forum based on the recognition that there is close link between peace, security and stability in Asia and in the rest of the world.

CICA has 26 full-fledged members while eight states and four international organizations including the United Nations and the Arab League have observer status.

The 5th foreign ministerial meeting of the CICA opened in Beijing on Thursday with the opening speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Turning point in Iran-China ties 

In a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Sarmadi said Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Iran in January was a turning point in strategic ties between Tehran and Beijing. 

He also reiterated China's constructive role in the conclusion of JCPOA last July. 

For his part, Wang described Iran as a strategic partner for China, saying China is ready to make greater contribution to Iran's development projects. 

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