Today 15 January, Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu met with the Foreign Minister of Iran Javad Zarifi in New Delhi to underscore the urgent need to ease tensions in the Middle East in light of the events of recent weeks.
Reinsalu expressed concern over Iran’s destabilising steps in the region and called for refraining from such actions.
According to Foreign Minister Reinsalu, the increased tensions are rightly a concern for the entire Middle East region and the world, and the solution must be a diplomatic one. “We cannot allow any more civilian casualties. Downing the Ukrainian passenger plane is a tragedy that affects many nations and our thoughts are with the families of victims,” Foreign Minister Reinsalu said.
“I call on Iran to fully cooperate to ensure an independent investigation of the crash,” he said.
Reinsalu said that as a member of the UN Security Council, Estonia would listen to all parties and help find a solution through various channels, however, he stressed that the United States had the right to protect its citizens and coalition partners. “I reiterated this point on Saturday in my phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,” he added.
The foreign minister also called on Iran to meet its obligations of refraining from obtaining a nuclear weapon and complete cooperation with states included in the nuclear agreement. He asked his Iranian colleague for clarification on a recent news story claiming that the President of Iran said the European troops deployed in the Middle East may be in danger after the United Kingdom, France and Germany launched the dispute resolution mechanism of the Iran nuclear agreement.
Foreign Minister Reinsalu is in New Delhi to attend the Raisina Dialogue conference, where he will give a keynote speech on Estonia’s role in the UN Security Council in 2020 and 2021.
Photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmKJU3Ek
Additional information:
Britta Tarvis
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Communication Department
[email protected]
+372 5194 7045