Defense diplomacy plays role in Iran foreign policy

Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier-General Ahmad Vahidi said Monday that Iran’s defense diplomacy is based on interaction and cooperation with other countries.

“Defense diplomacy, as an important pillar of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy, can play a decisive role in achieving foreign policy objectives in other fields,” Brig. Gen. Vahidi told a group of Iranian ambassadors in Tehran.

“A powerful Iran in the defense field can in addition to repelling foreign threats act as a strong backbone for Iran’s foreign diplomacy,” Gen. Vahidi said on Monday.

Vahidi said that defense MoUs, such as the one recently signed with Qatar, could help establish regional stability and urged Iranian envoys make every effort to achieve such goals.

Iran and Qatar signed an agreement on the expansion of defense cooperation between the two countries on February 24.

He went on to describe regional cooperation as a necessity for maintaining regional calm and said, “The goal of the enemies of peace and stability in the [Middle East] region is to create disputes in the friendship of regional countries.”

The Iranian defense minister concluded by stressing the importance of developing the country’s defense diplomacy in order to increase cooperation between Iran and its neighbors.