Iran’s President Begins UN Trip

TEHRAN (defapress) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani left Tehran for New York on Sunday morning to attend the 72nd regular session of the United Nations General Assembly.

News ID: 65956

Date: 17 September 2017 - 12:23

Speaking to reporters at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport, President Rouhani said the UN General Assembly gives Iran a good opportunity to let the world hear its voice and clear up the misunderstandings in the US and Western public opinion.

The president said he is going to deliver an address to the UNGA and hold separate meetings with media directors, with politicians and intellectuals from the American think tanks, with Islamic leaders and with Iranian expatriates living in the US during his stay in New York.

As regards the high-profile meetings, President Rouhani said he would meet heads of state from Belgium, Austria, France, Japan, Pakistan, South Africa, Bolivia and a number of other countries to discuss bilateral ties, as well as the regional and international issues such as the crisis in Myanmar and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).

He also unveiled plans for participation in other summits on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, saying the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is going to hold a session on Myanmar, while another conference would be convened to discuss the climate and environmental issues.

Denouncing the persecution of Muslims in Myanmar as an unprecedented catastrophe in the history of the region, President Rouhani said all states should condemn the Myanmarese government’s violence against Muslims and offer help for those displaced in Myanmar.

The Iranian president then reiterated that the regional conflicts have no military solution and should be resolved politically, calling for concerted action to combat terrorism and establish peace and stability.

The 72nd regular session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 72) convened at UN Headquarters on September 12. The General Debate will open on Tuesday, September 19, with the main theme ‘Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet’.

A number of events will take place in parallel to the UNGA 72, including Global Goals Week 2017 and Climate Week NYC 2017.