Larijani:

Iran keen on hosting 2019 Eurasian inter-parliamentary meeting

TEHRAN (defapress) – Iranian Parliamentary Speaker voiced Iran’s willingness in hosting the fourth annual Meeting of Speakers of Eurasian Countries' Parliaments in 2019.

News ID: 65218

Date: 28 June 2017 - 15:37

Ali Larijani made the announcement in a meeting with Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin on the sidelines of the second annual Meeting of Speakers of Eurasian Countries' Parliaments in Seoul on Tuesday.

"In this propagandist hype where certain countries only pretend to be fighting terrorism, Iran and Russia have gained successful shared experiences both on the ground and in the political arena within the framework of the Astana peace talks,” Larijani said.

He went on to discuss the current crisis in Yemen, describing it a "humanitarian catastrophe”, and adding that "we believe Saudi Arabia has made a strategic mistake in Yemen and is now sinking into the swamp of that mistake.”

The Russian official, for his part, stressed that one priority of the Meeting of Speakers of Eurasian Countries' Parliaments is fighting terrorism, expressing hope for the participation of more European countries in the meeting.

He deemed anti-terrorism cooperation between Iran and Russia satisfactory, and extended an invitation to Larijani for an official visit to Moscow.

Volodin further stressed the need for more consultations on combating terrorism between the Iranian and Russian sides, and called on European and Eurasian parliaments to get a better understanding of the Syrian situation so that terrorists would not be able to fortify again.

The 2nd annual Meeting of Speakers of Eurasian Countries' Parliaments opened in South Korean capital Seoul on Monday and will wrap up on Wednesday. Parliamentary leaders from 25 Asian and European countries will discuss ways for further cooperation for Eurasian prosperity during the three-day conference.