Assyrian MP hails Iran’s smart diplomacy

Tehran, Dec 20, IRNA - Assyrian representative in the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) Yonatan Bet-Kolia said on Saturday that Tehran’s smart diplomacy has turned the country into a significant and influential player in the region. Speaking exclusively to IRNA, the MP called on regional countries to admit that no tension would be settled in the region without Iran’s presence. “Iran’s effective role in resolving the existing crises in Iraq, Syria and Palestine has indicated that the contemporary world needs the Islamic Republic in the fight against oppression, plunder and particularly terrorism,” Bet-Kolia stressed. The Assyrian MP noted that Western and Arab governments should admit that Iran plays a key role in making major decisions about regional disputes. Stressing that modern weapons or physical power are no longer effective means of power in the present world, Bet-kolia said diplomacy and negotiation are new forms of power which are referred to as the soft power. He added that international disputes can no longer be resolved through physical power and they are instead solved through the soft power. Referring to Iran as a country which effectively uses the soft power, the Assyrian MP said, and this is a fact which has been acknowledged even by the hegemonic powers./end