2019-02-06 18:46 update: 2019-02-12, 19:32
Photo PAP/Jacek Turczyk
Poland must accept the consequences if the conclusions of a planned Middle East conference in Warsaw are aimed against Iran, Iranian Ambassador in Poland Masoud Edrisi Kermanshahi told reporters on Wednesday.
Kermanshahi said the conference in Warsaw, co-hosted by Poland and the US, does not seek to and has no aim to resolve any problems, and as proof mentioned that Iran had not been invited to the meeting. "If they (conference organizers - PAP) really intended to (...) work on solutions to problems and troubles in the Middle East, then why didn't they invite some of the countries from this region, including Iran?" he asked. He also noted that its agenda did not include the Palestinian issue, which is one of the major challenges in the Middle East.
He stressed that Poland's decision to co-organise the conference with the US was "wrong and unacceptable," and voiced hope that the Polish side will be able to guide the talks away from an anti-Iranian stance. Asked what could happen to Polish-Iranian relations if the conference took an anti-Iranian position, Kermanshahi said Poland "would have to deal with consequences and take responsibility for the outcome of the conference." He added that this could mean problems in bilateral relations, including a downgrade or even severance of diplomatic relations.
Kermanshahi called the Warsaw conference "an attempt to present reality in a completely reversed light," and stressed that it was aimed against Iran. He also recounted his country's involvement in world peace and security, especially undertakings against the Islamic State and other Islamic terrorist groups. In this context he reminded everyone that "some countries" which were currently trying to discredit Iran were themselves withdrawing from peace and security agreements.
"Iran is and remains a supporter of peace and security for the entire globe, and we can confirm this by concrete facts (...), Kermanshahi said.
In early January the US Department of State and the Polish Foreign Ministry announced that Warsaw will host a ministerial-level conference on the Middle East on February 13-14. The meeting is expected to focus chiefly on Iran.
Iran has protested against Poland's involvement in the meeting, calling it an act of hostility. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has lodged a formal protest against the event with the Polish charge d'affaires in Tehran. (PAP)
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