WANA (Dec 16) – In response to what it described as interventionist language regarding Iran’s territorial integrity in a joint statement by officials of Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates, Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus in Tehran.
Mohammad Ali Bek, Assistant Foreign Minister and Director General for the Persian Gulf at Iran’s Foreign Ministry, met with Cypriot Ambassador Petros Nacouzis and formally conveyed Iran’s strong protest, delivering a written note of objection.
During the meeting, Bek stressed that the three islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb are integral parts of Iran’s territory, emphasizing that Iran’s historical, undisputed, and effective sovereignty over the islands is beyond doubt.
He underlined that the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns any territorial claims against its sovereignty, describing them as a violation of the fundamental principle of respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.
Referring to Iran’s principled position of non-interference in the sovereign and territorial issues of other countries, including Cyprus, Bek called on the Cypriot government to take immediate steps to correct what he described as a serious mistake and to refrain from repeating such actions in the future.
