TEHRAN -- Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri said Monday there is no need to the presence of foreign troops in the region as regional countries are totally capable of establishing security and defending their own interests.
He met Brigadier Abdulaziz Abdullah al- Mantheri, assistant to Oman’s chief of staff for operations and planning, here to say that all-out development of ties with Muscat is Tehran’s unwavering policy.
Baqeri said Oman has always played a positive role in all regional developments and in boosting regional contacts and interactions.
“There is good coordination between Iran and Oman in the field of marine security ... the issue of Yemen and other regional developments.”
He touched on the destructive role of foreign presence in the region, saying Iran believes regional countries are totally capable of establishing security and defending their interests, and that the presence of foreign forces in the region only foments insecurity.
The Americans and the Europeans, General Baqeri said, believe that they can prolong their presence in the region by pitting regional countries against each other and hatching plots.
In doing so, he said, they seek to spread Iranophobia and allege that Iran is posing threats to others to serve their own interests.
“They sow discord and sell weapons, meaning they do not help regional security. If they are set aside, we will be able to establish security in the region through cooperation and interaction with neighbors,” Iran’s top general added.
Gen. Baqeri also said the decision of some Arab countries in the Persian Gulf to establish relations with the occupying regime of Israel is surprising.
“The Zionist regime’s enmity toward the Muslim world and regional nations is known to all and the establishment of such ties ... will definitely lead to a troubled future for the region.”
Baqeri reaffirmed Iran’s détente policy in the region.
“We have had meetings with Emirati and Saudi officials on regional issues, and misunderstandings have been dispelled to some extent. We have also good relations with Qatar and Kuwait,” he said.
Following the inauguration of the new administration, he said, Iran is fully ready to expand relations with its neighbors and clear any misunderstandings.
The top commander also expressed hope that Muslim states would promote cordial relations and do not allow foreign powers to take advantage of their previous differences.