Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, have discussed Persian Gulf security issues, including Tehran's Hormuz Peace Initiative, the Iranian presidential press service said on Tuesday
TEHRAN/MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th September, 2019) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, have discussed Persian Gulf security issues, including Tehran's Hormuz Peace Initiative, the Iranian presidential press service said on Tuesday.
Rouhani's Hormuz Peace Initiative seeks to create a system of collective cooperation in the Gulf area with the participation of all the regional states. An invitation to join the initiative was also extended to the United States. Rouhani will officially present the details on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly.
"Dr Hassan Rouhani and Emmanuel Macron met on Thursday evening, New York local time, on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, and discussed bilateral cooperation in the fields of interest to both countries, critical conditions of the region, and Dr Rouhani's new initiative called 'Hormuz Peace Initiative,'" the press service said in a statement.
During the conversation with Macron, Rouhani stressed the need for the remaining parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, to make efforts aimed at preserving the pact after the United States' withdrawal.
"He went on to slam the statement by France, Britain and Germany issued today [accusing Iran of being behind the attack on Saudi oil facilities], and described it as making baseless accusations," the statement stressed.
Macron, in turn, welcomed the Iranian security initiative and outlined the French efforts to save the JCPOA.
"The French President emphasized dialogue and interaction with Iran as an influential country in the region and stressed that the constructive Paris-Tehran relations should continue," the statement added.
The situation in the Gulf region significantly escalated after the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, as well as amid the bloody war in Yemen, in which Iran and Saudi Arabia are backing different parties to the conflict.�
