Iranian Ambassador: China reaffirms respect for Iran's territorial integrity

Shafaq News/ The Iranian ambassador to Beijing says Chinese officials have reaffirmed their "respect" for the territorial integrity of Iran, emphasizing that relations between the two countries are strategic.

Mohammad Keshavarzzade's remarks came after Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said earlier the same day that the Chinese officials had corrected "an error" made in a joint statement by Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council during Xi's official visit to Saudi Arabia. The statement lent support to the United Arab Emirates' claim to three Iranian Persian Gulf islands of the Letter Tunb, Greater Tunb, and Abu Musa.

He added, "The Chinese side reaffirmed its respect for the territorial integrity of Iran," describing the two countries' relations as strategic and mentioning a 25-year cooperation plan, which has been only "signed with Iran in the West Asia region, as evidence."

The Iranian foreign minister last week reaffirmed that the islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb, and the Lesser Tunb in the Persian Gulf are inseparable parts of the country's territory, emphasizing that the Islamic Republic will never compromise on its territorial integrity.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin later told reporters that Beijing had reaffirmed its traditional friendly relations with Iran, saying his country's ties with Tehran and its relations with the member states of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) do not target any third party