DUSHANBE, January 7, 2013, Asia-Plus – Tajikistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released an official statement, in which it condemns a statement made by Iranian cleric, Ayatollah Seyed Mohammad Bagher Kharrazi.
A statement, released by the Tajik MFA on February 6, in particular, said, “While nominating his candidacy to run for Iranian President, Ayatollah Seyed Mohammad Bagher Kharrazi stated on February 4 that if he becomes President of Iran, Tajikistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan will be returned to Iran.”
“A statement by the head of Iran’s Hezbollah group, who is one of relatives of former Iranian foreign minister, has caused surprise and regret of cultural and political circles in Tajikistan. His statement was assessed as an opinion of intriguer and ignoramus, who is not aware of the current situation in the region and the world as well as the system of international law.”
The statement also notes that the Islamic Republic of Iran was among the first to recognize the Republic of Tajikistan as an independent state and opened its embassy here. For the past twenty years, Tajikistan and Iran have established interstate relations based on principles of international law ad the UN Charter. Common past history as well as cultural, lingual and ethnic ties are the important peculiarities that unite Tajikistan and Iran in the common cultural and civilization space and pave the way for further expansion cooperation between the two independent countries on the basis of equal rights and noninterference in the internal affairs, territorial integrity and respect for state independence, the statement said.
We will recall Iranian website, cheshmandaz.org, reported on February 5 that Ayatollah Seyed Mohammad Bagher Kharrazi stated that if he becomes President of Iran he will return to Iran Tajikistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan that had separated from it. He noted that he intends to participate in presidential election that will take place in Iran in June this year. “I will return these territories to Iran without bloodshed,” Seyed Mohammad Bagher Kharrazi stated.
