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| Iran-India Ministry Level Talks | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 29 2014, 11:09 AM (60 Views) | |
| lordofthechris | Oct 29 2014, 11:09 AM Post #1 |
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Let me welcome my compatriots from the Indian Republic to Tehran for this important occassion of discussing at a high level the cooperation between our governments on issues of vital and mutual importance. Even as violence and extremism continue to extinquish the lives of many innocent persons throughout the region, that our governments can still find common ground gives me hope for the future of our two nations. And I must say, that despite living under the threat of Zionist nuclear missiles - which are stored in submarines right off our coast ready to launch at a moment's notice - Tehran is in fact beautiful this time of year. I would first like to state that we have three issues on the agenda: (1) counter-terrorism cooperation, (2) security in Afghanistan, and (3) strengthening the principle of territorial integrity. On the first issue, it is essential that states cooperate to combat violent extremism in all forms. Given the destruction of state institutions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere due to reckless foreign invasions, we must come together to reestablish peace and security. Our two states face substantial terrorist threats, both internally and externally, and it is my hope that we can come to an understanding on how to build a practical framework for addressing this problem. As to the second issue, with the retreat of the Americans and British from Afghanistan, it will be up to regional governments to work out the problems left unresolved by their hasty exit. Afghanistan has many problems, but that means it also has many opportunities and exploring these options will ensure that our states can achieve the common aim of restoring peace and dignity to the peoples of Afghanistan. Lastly, with the many years of war in the region, the inviolable principle of territorial integrity has come under assault. Opportunist governments have undermined this principle for their own agendas without regard to the consequences to the lives of those who live in those states. I would like us to emphasize together the importance of maintaining territorial integrity for the sake of protecting people from violence and bloodshed. Thank you for your presence here in Tehran and I look forward to our exchange. Hossein Dehghan Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Islamic Republic of Iran |
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| Degen83 | Oct 29 2014, 12:36 PM Post #2 |
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Thank you for having me. It is a pleasure to be here to speak with you on numerous issues that affect both of our nations. First off, I must inquire as to the status of your nuclear program. It is the position of my government that we do not support nuclear proliferation, and your nuclear program remains the biggest obstacle at the moment. If we can be satisfied that you are not pursuing nuclear weapons, that will remove this obstacle and allow our relations to soar to new heights. Terrorism is indeed a threat to all nations in 2014. Both of our nations have had to deal with terrorist attacks, and I agree that we should increase our counter terrorism cooperation. Sharing intelligence on known groups such as Al Qaeda and their affiliates and other more regional groups can help our respective law enforcement agencies track these individuals and bring them to justice, even going as far as to potentially stop their attacks before they take place. The more we can catch in the planning phase, the less destruction they will cause. This naturally brings us to the next point on the agenda, Afghanistan. The ISAF forces are scheduled to withdrawal this year from Afghanistan. The British are already pulling out, and the Americans are soon to follow. In preparation we have been working closely with Tajikistan on increasing their security to ensure the Taliban cannot move in and set up shop. It is my hipe that all regional powers will get together so we can deal with the issue of Afghanistan and extremists in Central Asia on a unified front. The first step is to ensure the bordering nations can maintain their own territorial integrity, and if tey are unable to on their own they must be helped by those who can. I must applaud the SCO for their work in Tajikistan, howeer I have not seen much preparations for other Central Asian nations that are in the SCO and CSTO so I cnnot say for sure what other preparations have been made. Regarding Afghanistna, it is not my intention to deploy forces inside Afghanistan. We have seen the Soviets and now the Americans/NATO do this with mixed results. I absoltely do not think foreign troops operating on a long term deployment inside Afghanistan will bebenefiticial. It is currently our plan to contain any extremism to Afghanistan, and work with the Afghan government to increase the living standards, ecoonmy, and trade to help the average Afghan learn about opportunities that they can perform without resorting to terrorism to support their families. What are your thoughts on this? Regarding territorial integrity, it is not my goal to create separate states. Each state has their own self determinism. India and Pakistan have had several conflicts in which territorial integrity has been violated, at times with diplomatic support from your government. I mus tassume you mean the recent affairs regarding Kurdistan and Iraq. We support the coalitions efforts to combat ISIS, we view them to be a threat to regional stability and a coalition needs to be maintained to combat their forces and influence. We are not helping Kurdistan become independent, that is up for the Kurds to decide. However with a Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran who all do not support an independent Kurdish nation, while other powrees also do not support one, the issue of Kurdish independence is a tricky one. India has no plans to help Kurdisrtan secede from Iraq. However given the economic realities of the situation we must also be prepared to deal wiith what happens, and not what we would wish would happen. If Kurdish independence is realized and the United Nations recognizes them, India would have to adhere to the international community and do the same. Arun Jaitley Minister of Defense Republic of India |
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| lordofthechris | Oct 29 2014, 01:37 PM Post #3 |
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I thank you Mr. Jaitley for your opening statements. I must say that I was not prepared to discuss Iran's civili nuclear capabilities, so excuse me if my answer does not meet your expectations. Let me be clear that the Islamic Republic religiously, ethically, and logically opposes nuclear armament, and we share your senitments regarding the proliferation of such terrible weapons. They are not necessary for defending the Iranian people, even as our enemies posture with nuclear weapons off our coast. As you know, my Government has suspended its participation in the P5+1 negotiations. This is because of the incredibly dangerous security situation in the region. It is impractical for Iran to let down its guard when states in the region are behaving irresponsibly and irrationally. And it is clear that the United States is not capable of fulfilling its agreements, even if one were to be made with Iran. It is unfortunate that the promising negotiations have been obstructed in such a way, but we are ready to continue negotiations without preconditions should the regional security situation improve. This leads me to my first point on counter-terrorism: I think sharing information is an essential first step in coordinating our responses to this threat. It is agreed that our Governments should endeavor to do so; I recommend the creation of a joint counter-terrorism task force in our respective capitals to facilitate this exchange. I do applaud your government's efforts in regards to the situation in Afghanistan. Every effort should be made to support good governance in Afghanistan and improve the security situation in that country. Iran is prepared to take an active role in this regard and to coordinate its efforts with like-minded regional partners. I believe this can be accomplished through the United Nations and International Monetary Fund. If necessary, Iran is also willing to consider the creation of new regional institutions capable of supporting this task. Lastly, I appreciate your government's commitment to international principles and norms, including respecting territorial integrity. A Kurdistan which unilaterally declares its independence would be clearly destabilizing for the region's security and economic structures, especially if it serves as a base of operations for foreign powers. Hossein Dehghan Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Islamic Republic of Iran |
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| Degen83 | Oct 30 2014, 10:35 AM Post #4 |
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Mr Dehghan, Thank you for touching on your nuclear program. That has been, and remains, the biggest obstacle in our relations. The sanctions placed on your nation by the UN has also limited the amount of trade between us. If it weren't for such measures our bilateral trade would be growing at a healthy rate. I encourage you to resolve this matter so we can increase our trade ties and mutual cooperation. The security situation in Iran is affected by what happens in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to a lesser extent Syria. We do not condone the attacks on civilians, but we also have no plans nor desire to involve ourselves in that civil war. The Assad regime is the legitimate government, however we are reserved and are watching the civil war in Syria with interest. We do have a desire to help with humanatarian aid, but have no plans to break apart Syria or to participate in the civil war at all. We are watching the civil war with interest. It is not the international communities duty to unilaterially create new countries, but there is something to be said of self determinism. There is also something to be said for territorial integrity, and it not up to foreign powers to dictate this. Afghanistan is a tricky subject. I can absolutely agree that regional powers like Iran and India should work with the Afghan government to help improve their security problem. Not only do we need to help them with their security issues, but we should take the humanatarian approach and help them by increasing trade and helping to provide job opportunities and education to provide an alternative way of life than to join the Taliban. We are prepared to offer scholarships, aid with our ITEC program to help provide technical skills to Afghans who desire to gain skills needed to help their country advance, and even small scale renewable energy power sources to help provide power to remote areas to help increase their productivity. The problems Afghanistan faces are multifaceted and a single approach of just increasing security ties will not be sufficient. We have seen both the Soviets and Americans/NATO try, and fail, at doing so. To deal with increased threats of terrorism, both from groups operating in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and elsewhere, I absolutely agree that we should increase our anti terrorism cooperation. We are working with the SCO on regional security, pending our membership, and applaud your commitment to regional security. Intelligence sharing regarding terrorist elements will help us track these individuals across borders and help in their capture and prosecution in the affected nations. This can help provide security not only for out nations but can also help us target and capture or eliminate threats to regional stability. I am prepared to sign an agreement for a mutual exchange of intelligence on terrorist groups and persons of interest that our respective agencies have intelligence on. I would also like to work in an extradition agreement so that if terrorists or persons of interest are found in either of our territories they can be extradited to face justice. Arun Jaitley Minister of Defense Republic of India |
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| lordofthechris | Oct 30 2014, 12:44 PM Post #5 |
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Mr. Jaitley, I believe this conversation is very productive. I can already see the contours of a possible joint comminque addressing these common issues. I would like to propose the following draft:
Hossein Dehghan Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Islamic Republic of Iran |
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| Degen83 | Nov 5 2014, 02:22 PM Post #6 |
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Mr Dehghan I apologize for the delay, I had to review the document with the Prime Minister. The agreement looks acceptable to us as written and we are prepared to sign it. Arun Jaitley Minister of Defense Republic of India |
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| lordofthechris | Nov 5 2014, 04:26 PM Post #7 |
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Thank you for this productive meeting. I will make the official copies available for signature at the soonest opportunity. Hossein Dehghan Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Islamic Republic of Iran |
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