China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called for the formation of a new dialogue forum to resolve security issues in the West Asia region, saying the major precondition for joining the forum would be the support for the multilateral 2015 nuclear deal.
Wang made the remarks after a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in the Chinese city of Tengchong on Saturday where both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed between Iran and major world powers in 2015, Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“China proposes to build a regional multilateral dialogue platform with equal participation of all stakeholders,” said the statement.
It added that the forum would “enhance mutual understanding through dialogue and explore political and diplomatic solutions to security issues in the Middle East.”
Support for the JCPOA, Wang said, which was abandoned by US President Donald Trump, would be a precondition of entry to the forum.
Following the meeting with his Chinese counterpart, the Iranian foreign minister said he held “fruitful” talks with Wang on strategic partnership, adding that both sides oppose the US unilateralism.
Trump, a hawkish critic of the JCPOA, unilaterally withdrew Washington from the agreement in May 2018, and unleashed the “toughest ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism.
Following its much-criticized exit, Washington has been attempting to prevent the remaining signatories from abiding by their commitments and thus kill the historic agreement, which is widely viewed as a fruit of international diplomacy.
China, a signatory to the landmark nuclear deal, has always expressed its opposition to the US unilateral policies on Iran, including the re-imposition of the United Nations sanctions on Tehran, and emphasized that the JCPOA should be maintained.
In an implied rebuke of US’ unilateral policies, the Chinese foreign minister said later in August that Beijing and Paris should work to promote multilateralism and safeguard major international agreements, such as the Iran nuclear deal, in the face of unilateralism.
Wang made the remarks in a meeting with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, in Paris, where he said the two sides “should strengthen coordination and cooperation on international affairs, and safeguard major outcomes of international agreements and multilateral diplomacy, such as the Iran nuclear deal.”
Source: Agenceis
