TEHRAN -- Iran has declared its support for an initiative offered by China to help settle the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, saying it is time for genuine diplomacy to be activated to end the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry made the remark in a statement, two days after China released its initiative for putting an end to the Ukraine war, officially known as China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis.

China’s initiative, among other points, urges respect for the sovereignty of all countries, stressing that conflict and war benefit no one and calling for the resumption of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

“Iran believes that the elements reflected in this document are enough for commencing negotiations for a mutually agreed framework for terminating the military activities in Ukraine, stopping unilateral measures, and restoring the situation in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations,” the ministry’s statement said.

The statement affirmed that Iran is ready to contribute to peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis with the main goal being early termination of the military activities by the two neighboring countries.

“It is the time for genuine diplomacy to be activated in order to end the conflict ... rather than advertising and fueling the war, as well as accusing others ... and insisting on unilateral measures,” the statement added.

The ministry said Iran denounces war and unilateral sanctions and reaffirms its absolute preference for dialogue and diplomacy for settling disputes.

It also condemned “the Cold War era hegemonic mentality” of the United States and certain other Western countries, which is manifest in their “national policies and regional arrangements (such as NATO),” describing it as “one of the root causes of many crises in the world, including the ongoing one in Ukraine.”

“The principled position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is respect for the Charter of the United Nations and international law,” including prohibition of the use of force against other countries, it said.