Senior diplomat: Iran supports collective security for region

A senior Iranian foreign ministry official reiterated Tehran's strong opposition to foreign meddling in the region, and stressed that Iran is in pursuit of the establishment of security in all the regional states. The issue was raised by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian who has just come back from a tour of several Arab counties, including Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Qatar. During his meetings with foreign ministers and his counterparts in these Arab states, Abdollahian conferred on the latest developments in the region, Syria, Bahrain and Yemen in particular. He said that Iran's policy on ties with the Persian Gulf littoral Arab states is in pursuit of collective security in the strategic region, and noted that "Iran's achievements in recent decades serve the entire region." The Iranian diplomat also rejected foreign meddling in the regional affairs and underlined that problems in the region should be resolved through political solutions and dialogue. Meantime, a report released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Information and Press Bureau said that during Abdollahian's meetings, the Arab officials too underlined the importance of negotiation and political solution to disputes in Bahrain, Yemen and Syria. They also lauded the constructive stance adopted by Iran on regional cooperation, and said that Iran plays a key role in the region.