Tehran backing Iraq integrity, sovereignty: Foreign Ministry

“A stable, democratic Iraq where all the ethnic groups could live together in peace is what Iran supports,” Bahram Qasemi told reporters on Monday.

Commenting on holding a referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan region Qasemi said, there are certain principles, in this regard, that should be taken care of.

“Putting forward such issues at present time is going to be an uncalculated approach that could pay a serious blow to Iraq’s territorial integrity,” Qasemi said.

Iran’s stance on the issue is clear, he added.

“Iran, for long, have maintained good ties with all different tribes and ethnic groups in Iraq and the Tehran remains advising all of them to try to live together in peace under a unified Iraq and work towards promoting security and development of the country,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

Moreover, Qasemi went on to explain about why in some of the meetings held between Iranian officials and other participants of the Shanghai Cooperation Council, there was no sign of an Iranian flag.

There are clear protocols as far as using flags during the meeting between officials are concerned, he said.

The flags of both countries are used during talks when both of the officials are at the same level, he added.

He denounced comments released in the cyber spaces by some people who argued that during the meetings on the sidelines of the SCO summit, there were no sign of Iranian flags.

Those who have put forward such comments are whether unmindful about the formalities and protocols, or they have just made mistakes, Qasemi said.

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