UN chief hails Iran-Saudi rapprochement, praises Tehran role in region
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Guterres says that Iran's role in hosting Afghan refugees was significant and calls for international support to Tehran on the matter.
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Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Geneva on Monday on the sidelines of the 52nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, February 27, 2023.
UN Chief Antonio Guterres hailed the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia during a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, describing it as a "turning point" in the Middle East toward constructing interactions between its countries.
After seven years of strained ties, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic relations and reopen missions in respective countries after a series of talks brokered in Beijing, China under the auspices of Chinese President Xi Jinping in March.
The two countries reopened embassies and reinstated the work of diplomatic missions.
Touching upon the conference organized in the Qatari capital by the United Nations in May on Afghanistan, Guterres reiterated the consensus reached by the meeting parties on the need to form an ethnically inclusive government in the Asian war-torn country, support its economy, fight terrorism and drug production and trafficking, in addition to providing Afghan women with the right of education.
Read more: Invaded, massacred, now 'abandoned': Afghan trauma from US continues
He also praised Iran for hosting a large population of Afghan refugees, stressing that international assistance must be provided to Iran on that matter.
Hoping for a near end to the Ukrainian conflict, the UN chief brought up the peace initiatives introduced by some African countries that could contribute to a solution to the war, and the recently extended grain deal that will prevent a global food crisis.
The war in Yemen was also discussed by the two officials, where Guterres called for a permanent and sustainable ceasefire, also highlighting Tehran's stabilizing role in the region.
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The Islamic Republic views the Doha summit on Afghanistan as a positive step, Amir-Abdollahian told the UN top official, noting that millions of Afghan refugees were hosted and assisted by Iran for decades, and such contribution requires international support.
Amir-Abdollahian expressed hope that the war and blockade on Yemen would end as soon as possible.
The top diplomat also reaffirmed Tehran's opposition to the war in Ukraine, and called on parties involved in the conflict to resort to dialogue to reach a lasting peace.
The JCPOA was also a matter of discussion during the call, along with the lifting of sanctions on Iran and Tehran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency to settle misunderstandings.
