RACF statement directed against Iran’s territorial integrity
“Regarding our country’s territorial integrity, we will not stand on ceremony with anyone,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani Chafi emphasized.
The Iranian government believes that a statement adopted at the sixth session of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum (RACF) in Marrakesh is directed against Iran’s territorial integrity, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani Chafi said.
“Allegations made in the Russian-Arab statement [following the forum] in Morocco regarding the three Iranian islands are considered as actions against Iran’s territorial integrity,” the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted him as saying. “Regarding our country’s territorial integrity, we will not stand on ceremony with anyone,” Kanaani Chafi emphasized.
The Islamic republic’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s charge d’affaires on December 24 due to the fact that the RACF final statement had mentioned the issue of ownership of three islands in the Persian Gulf, which have long been the subject of a dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The Russian and Arab foreign ministers emphasized “support for all peaceful efforts, including the initiative and endeavors of the United Arab Emirates to find a peaceful solution to the dispute over the three islands – Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa – based on international law and the UN Charter.”
On July 12, the Iranian Foreign Ministry delivered the same protest to Russian Ambassador to Tehran Alexey Dedov. Shortly before that, a ministerial meeting was held in Moscow as part of a strategic dialogue between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The resulting statement said the ministers “reiterated their support for all peaceful efforts, including the initiative and endeavors of the United Arab Emirates to reach a peaceful solution to the dispute over the three islands – Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa – through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice.”
