TEHRAN -- Iran has reaffirmed its commitment to contribute to the diplomatic resolution of the simmering crisis in Ukraine, which is now into its fifth month.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian in a phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday pointed to Iran’s principled position of opposing war and stressed ending the crisis through diplomatic means.
“We have said since the outset that while paying attention to the root cause of the crisis, we oppose war and do not consider war to be a suitable solution to resolve issues,” said the top Iranian diplomat.
He emphasized that ties between the Islamic Republic and Ukraine have been based on friendship, respect, mutual benefits and cooperation in the past three decades and expressed readiness to collaborate with Ukraine within the framework of the agreement for the opening of the Black Sea corridor to ship grain products.
Iran’s foreign minister also extended an invitation to his Ukrainian counterpart to visit Tehran.
Kuleba, for his part, expressed his appreciation for Iran’s anti-war stance and emphasized that the Ukrainian government would welcome any political assistance towards ending the crisis.
He also expressed Kiev’s readiness to expand bilateral relations with Iran, including in the fields of agriculture and grains, and described continued talks between the two sides for the expansion of ties as constructive.
Kiev’s top diplomat also discussed the latest developments of the war in his country and thanked Amir-Abdollahian for Tehran’s willingness to contribute towards resolving the conflict and invited him to visit Kiev.