Paris Attacks Necessitate Global Action on Extremism: FM
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the recent fatal terrorist attacks in Paris demonstrated the necessity for concerted international action against violence and extremism.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Cypriot counterpart in Tehran on Sunday, Zarif said the deadly attacks in France demonstrated the importance of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s call for the worldwide battle with extremism.
The comments came after a string of terrorist incidents in France that took the lives 17 victims in three days of violence that began with an attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly on Wednesday and ended with Friday's dual hostage-taking at a print works outside Paris and kosher supermarket in the city.
Zarif also asserted that the deadly attacks in France have nothing to do with Islam and only undermine the image of Muslims in the world.
“Countering such measures requires an all-out and joint response with global consensus, and the double standards toward the issue of terrorism should stop,” the Iranian diplomat said.
Zarif then pointed to his meeting with Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, saying they studied the ways to strengthen bilateral relations.
Battling terrorism, particularly in the Middle East and the Mediterranean region was among the other subjects of the meeting, Zarif added.
Kasoulides, for his part, hailed Iran as "a powerful regional country" that can play a key role in the fight against terrorism.
He also voiced Nicosia’s support for the process of negotiations on Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program, expressing the hope that the diplomatic talks would yield results soon.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) are in talks to strike a final agreement on Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program.
The next round of negotiations will be held in the Swiss city of Geneva later in January.
