THE 50th extraordinary conference of Federation of Arab Communities in Latin America (FEARAB America) began on Monday at Damascus University Amphitheatre.
Speaking at the conference, Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Fayssal Mikdad considered that this conference constitutes an essential lever of national efforts with the countries where expatriates reside, in addition to being a bridge to enhance communication with the aim of explaining that what is happening in Syria is the opposite of what the Western media promotes.
‘Syria stands by the good powers of the world, including the countries where you reside, to build a new world without colonialism and hegemony and without the plundering of the capabilities of the people, through a world based on multipolarity, justice, the UN Charter and the international law,’ Mikdad said.
He hoped that the work of the participants in the conference would focus on the future of this federation and the development of new mechanisms that allow it to develop its work and performance in harmony with the comprehensive vision and the extremely complex geopolitical reality.
The minister underlined that the Turkish occupation in northeastern Syria will end, and the Turkish withdrawal is the only way to restore relations between the two countries.
He stressed that the US occupation of northeastern Syria, its looting of wealth and its support for separatist terrorist groups will end thanks to the heroic struggle of people of Deir Ezzor and Hasaka, side by side with the Syrian Arab Army.
Mikdad assured that Damascus is making great efforts to establish the best relations with Latin American countries, but the economic sanctions imposed on Syria and some of these countries impede this.
Assistant Foreign and Expatriates Minister Ayman Sousan welcomed the participants in the conference, affirming that Damascus has always been a true defender of the causes of the Arab nation and a symbol of dignity and pride.
‘We highly appreciate the FEARAB’ stances on the crucial issues of the Arab nation and its firm principled stance in support of Syria to face destructive policies of US administration and the crisis against the country,’ Sousan added.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has declared the need to respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, stressing that his country opposes geopolitical changes in the region.
During a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Tehran on Sunday, Abdullahian affirmed the necessity of respecting Syria’s sovereignty without prejudice to its territorial integrity.
Abdullahian also underlined the priority of the Palestine cause, stressing that the presence of Zionist entity in the region has caused sedition, division between its countries, and instability therein.
The Iranian Foreign Minister noted that Iran opposed any geopolitical changes in the region and restrictions on the existing historical transit routes there.
Syrian Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister, Dr. Fayssal Mikdad discussed on Sunday with Russian Permanent Representative to OPCW Alexander Shulgin coordination and cooperation between the two missions of the two countries in the organisation to face common challenges, pressure and blackmail exercised by Western countries.
Both sides condemned the politicisation of the organisation work and the hostile Western approach towards all countries that confront the Western schemes, including incorrect accusations and disinformation campaigns to distort the image of Syria and Russia in the organisation.
Minister Mikdad stressed Syria’s firm stance in refusing the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere and under any circumstances, and the commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the provision of all necessary facilities to the work of the organisation.
He thanked the Russian Federation and ambassador Shulgin for supporting Syria, stressing deep-rooted historical friendship relations between the two countries.
In turn, Shulgin hailed Syria’s fulfilment of its obligations towards the work of the organisation despite the terrorist war waged against it.
Syrian Health Minister Dr. Hassan al-Ghobash discussed with Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to Syria, Barry Gilder, and his accompanying delegation means of bolstering cooperation in the health sector.
Al-Ghobash pointed out that the Ministry, despite all the challenges, continued to make exceptional efforts to continue providing basic and quality medical services to citizens till to date.
Al-Ghobash thanked the South African government for its assistance to mitigate the repercussions of the earthquake.
Gilder stressed his country’s keenness to help the Syrian people, provide them with the necessary health needs, and meet the ministry’s needs in the pharmaceutical industries.
- Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says the September document concerning the talks to revive the Iran nuclear agreement is not a new document but the outcome of previous rounds of negotiations between Iran and the remaining parties to the deal.
Nasser Kanaani made the remarks during a press conference in Tehran on Monday, in response to IRNA’s correspondent who asked him to clarify Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian’s recent remarks about the ‘September document between Iran and the United States’.
According to Kanaani, the last round of negotiations on reviving the deal, also known as the JCPOA, in September last year was about to be finalised but the US and its European partners rejected the final document.
They made a miscalculation by taking into account the Iran riots as well as the developments in Ukraine, missing an important opportunity to conclude the talks, he said.
‘They showed once again that they do not have the true will necessary for the parties to return to the JCPOA and fulfill their obligations,’ Kanaani lamented.
The spokesman further noted that Iran will develop its relations with those seeking to expand ties with it based on mutual respect.
‘In the meantime, we are witnessing the improvement of Iran’s regional and international status,’ he said, adding that the developments have undoubtedly led to good achievements in increasing the volume of Iran’s trade with other countries.
Kanaani referred to claims made by Western media about the sale of oil and Iran’s commercial exchanges, saying that media reports might pursue certain objectives.
However, Iran has time and again announced it will adhere to the diplomatic path, as it will seriously follow up the process of lifting the sanctions and it will not wait for the result of the negotiations on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal or the US administration’s stance on the Islamic Republic’s trade ties with other states.
The Islamic Republic will use all legal mechanisms to uphold the rights of the Iranian nation, the spokesman said, noting that Tehran uses the existing capacities in pursuing its relations and that numerous governments seek to develop cooperation with Iran.
Regarding the disputes between Syria and Turkey and the process of normalisation and relations between the two sides, Kanaani said that Iran, as a third party, is trying to normalise the relations between the two countries.
Naturally, the two countries have differences, but what is important for us is that the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Syria should be respected by the parties.
Iran, as a country that enjoys good relations with the two sides, is trying to help resolve these disputes, and of course, efforts are underway in the quadrilateral framework of Russia, Iran, Syria, and Turkey.
On the Iran-Iraq security agreement, he said details of the agreement are clear, and the Iraqi government and the officials of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region are committed to fulfilling the provisions of this agreement.
‘We expect that the Iraqi government will comply with its obligations at a certain time and witness the full implementation of this agreement by the Iraqi government,’ he concluded.
