Iran’s foreign minister has underscored the responsibility of European countries, notably the Netherlands and Germany, in directly or indirectly equipping and expanding the former Iraqi regime’s chemical weapons program.
Abbas Araghchi made the remarks during a meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel on the sidelines of the 30th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), held under the auspices of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Tuesday.
Araghchi highlighted the suffering of innocent victims of chemical weapons, particularly in the city of Sardasht. He urged all governments to promote the rule of law and avoid complicity or indifference to law-breaking and bullying behaviors, given the current dominance of belligerent unilateralism in international relations.
Araghchi also called for serious cooperation on the part of concerned countries in independent judicial investigations into the entities and individuals involved in the Saddam regime’s war crimes against the Iranians.
The Tuesday meeting also involved discussions on bilateral relations and key regional and international issues, following a recent visit by a senior Dutch Foreign Ministry official to Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry reported.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with the agreement to restart political and consular meetings, considering it a significant step toward strengthening cooperation between Tehran and The Hague.