Ukrainians must be free to determine own fate: Iran

Ukrainians must be free to determine own fate: Iran
Sat Mar 1, 2014 19:15:30

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has rejected any foreign meddling in the internal affairs of Ukraine, emphasizing that Ukrainians should be allowed to determine the fate of their own country.

Tehran believes foreign intervention, which affected Ukraine’s recent developments, has not helped improve the situation of the country, Zarif said at a joint press conference with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in the Iranian capital Tehran on Saturday.

Ukrainians must determine the fate of their country so we do not witness a return to conflict and violence in this country, Zarif added.

During their meeting before the news conference, the Iranian and polish foreign ministers discussed ways to enhance Tehran-Warsaw relations and other issues of mutual interest.

The Iranian foreign minister talked of efforts made to set the stage for Polish firms to operate in Iran, saying that the broadening of economic relations could benefit both nations.

The top Polish diplomat, for his part, said Iran is an important country for Poland and voiced his government's interest to improve cooperation with Tehran especially in the fields of medicine and food industry.

Unrest erupted in Ukraine in November 2013, when the ousted president, Viktor Yanukovych, refrained from signing an Association Agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia.

Russia has repeatedly accused the West of meddling in the internal affairs of Ukraine and fueling the crisis in the country.

On February 23, the Ukrainian parliament ousted Yanukovych and named Oleksandr Turchynov, the legislature’s newly-elected speaker, as interim president.

RA/MB

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