Raeisi says UN should act for all nations, not just for powers – President Raeisi made the remarks in a meeting with António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, on Thursday evening on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“The United Nations should truly be an organization for nations not that of powers,” said Raeisi.
Pointing to the ongoing crises in some of the regional countries, President Raeisi noted that the resolution to all of them lies in the formation of national dialogue without any foreign intervention.
Iran supports the establishment of regional dialogue for resolving bilateral issues between regional states, he also noted.
It is necessary for the UN to play a “more serious” role in confronting unilateralism, added Raeisi.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is the friend of its neighbors in tough times, he said, while also referring to humanitarian measures of Iran in hosting Afghan refugees and also its fight against terrorism which was a great danger for the region and the world.
Elsewhere, President Raeisi touched upon the destructive military intervention of Western countries in the West Asia region, saying the presence of the US and NATO in the region has resulted in nothing but “war, destruction, occupation, and murder.”
UN lauds Iran’s regional efforts
For his part, Guterres praised the continuous measures of Iran in receiving Afghan refugees as well as its role in sustaining the truce in Yemen.
Describing US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal as “unconstructive”, he regretted that anti-Iranian sanctions were not eased amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He voiced the United Nation’s support for Iran’s initiative on establishing regional dialogue.
Confirming the stances of the Islamic Republic with regard to human rights, the UN chief said that human rights should not be used as a means and excuse for waging war against countries.