Iran Condemns PGCC Statement On Iranian Islands

Tehran, April 19, IRNA – Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast on Wednesday deplored the repetition of unfounded claims regarding the three Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Lesser and Greater Tunbs by the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC). According to a report by the ministry’s Press Bureau, he rejected the contents of the closing statement issued after the council’s recent summit in Doha and described it as a conspicuous interference in Iran’s internal affairs. He also said that the era of adopting unconstructive stances in the statements of the council regarding the Iranian islands is over. President Ahmadinejad’s visit to Abu Musa is an affair which concern the Iranian government, he said, noting that Iran’s ownership of the islands is an invariable and indisputable issue. Mehmanparast also said that Iran's foreign policy is based on promoting ties with neighboring states in the Persian Gulf with a focus on good neighborliness, mutual respect, and non-interference in other countries’ affairs./end