Iranian President: Anti-ISIL coalition by terrorist backers is a ‘joke’

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An interesting read from The Tehran Times (source link):  “Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that the anti-terrorism coalition of the countries that had trained, equipped and financially supported terrorist groups is like a “joke”.

President Rouhani made the remarks during a meeting with Slovak Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Miroslav Lajcak in Tehran on Monday.

“However, we believe that if any country sincerely announces that it seeks to fight against terrorism from now on, their penitence should be accepted,” he added.

In a Thursday meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon agreed to join the United States and some other NATO member states in fight against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.

The Iranian president pointed to the fact that terrorism is a growing threat to the world and urged the entire world to cooperate in fight against terrorism.

There are lots of concerns regarding regional issues such as the situation of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and crimes being committed by terrorists in Iraq and Syria, Rouhani said, adding that there are concerns about security and stability of the other countries throughout the world, as well.

Iran keen to boost ties with Slovakia

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani stated that Iran welcomes expansion of consultation and cooperation with Slovakia. He described relations between the two countries as “positive”.

He regretted that in the recent years, the level of relations between Iran and Slovakia have decreased due to “cruel” sanctions imposed on Iran.

However, the president added that the current situation which has been created can be a good start for expansion of ties in economic, scientific, and cultural spheres.

Rouhani went on to say that Iran and Slovakia can hold consultation and cooperate on many international issues.

Slovakia is not a 5+1 group member state, but it is a member of the European Union and can be effective in achievement of a comprehensive deal in nuclear talks, he added.

The Iranian president also stated that Iran is serious in its nuclear talks with the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany), expressing hope that the other side would also be serious to achieve a comprehensive deal in due time.

Iran and the 5+1 group failed to meet a self-imposed July 20 deadline to work out a comprehensive deal to resolve the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program and extended the deadline to November 24.

Rouhani also expressed hope that the term “sanction” would be removed from international relations, specifically “blind sanctions” on food, medicine, and medical equipments that influence the lives of people.

My purpose is to enhance ties with Iran: Slovak FM

Lajcak, for his part, expressed satisfaction over his trip to Iran and stated that the main purpose of this trip was to expand ties with Iran.

He said that regional cooperation was another purpose behind his trip to Iran.

Security of the world has been put in danger and it is necessary to find a way out of current situation, Lajcak added.

He went on to say that expansion of international cooperation with Iran was another reason for his trip and stated that Slovakia supports Iran’s role and status as a regional and international player.

The Slovak official also expressed hope that Iran and the 5+1 group would reach a win-win solution in the upcoming nuclear talks.

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