Iran Embassy lodges complaint to Chinese officials: envoy

In a post on his Twitter account, Mohammad Keshavarzadeh, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to China, said that he had lodged Iran's official complaint to the Chinese side regarding the anti-Iranian claims in the joint statement of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) and China.

"In the meeting with the high-ranking Chinese officials, in addition to presenting an official complaint, I demanded that the Chinese foreign ministry pay attention to the sensitivities in the region. By reemphasizing the respect for Iran's territorial integrity, the Chinese side considered the relations between the two countries to be strategic and pointed out that the 25-year partnership plan in the West Asia region, which was concluded only with Iran symbolizes that."

The joint PGCC and China statement during President Xi's visit to Saudi Arabia instigated criticism in Iran.

In reaction, the foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stressed in a tweet in Farsi and Chinese languages that the three islands of Lesser and Greater Tunbs and Abu Musa are inseparable parts of Iran and that Tehran does not compromise with anyone on its territorial integrity.

MNA/TSN2823921