Iranian FM sees better future for Mideast region if nations united

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif underlined that existing potentials and talented people can lead the region towards sustainable peace, tranquility and prosperity if the regional nations keep vigilant against enemies' conspiracies and divisive plots. “We believe that we are now facing two options (in the region), and we can choose either option. We should try to change the Middle-East situation. We can determine our fate and future. We should hold talks in a bid to promote understanding. We should try to achieve a better future and we can make it,” the Iranian foreign minister stressed while speaking on a panel discussion about the Middle-East at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Friday. “We call for the promotion of stability and security and an end to violence in the region. We try to establish good relations with Arab countries. We are fully determined to have good ties with our neighbors,” Zarif said. Earlier this month, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani warned against the repercussion of growing ideological disputes and conflicts in the region, particularly in the Islamic states, and asked for the enhancement of Muslim unity as a top priority of all Islamic states. Addressing the 27th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran at the time, the Iranian president warned against enemy plots to sow discord among Muslims and halt their progress and noted that Islamic nations must promote their unity based on their religious commonalities and mutual interests. Rouhani called for the elimination of the roots of differences and noted that Muslims must join hands to revive the Islamic civilization by fighting discrimination, religious intolerance and different aspects of cultural and economic poverty. The 27th International Islamic Unity Conference which started work in Tehran on January 17 wrapped up on January 19 after issuing a statement. The participants of the conference held 20 working sessions in a period of three days. More than 300 prominent Muslim scholars and thinkers from 58 countries participated in the three-day conference.