"The trio islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb are indispensable parts of the Islamic Republic of Iran's territory," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast said, reacting to the contents of the final statement of the second Arab-African Summit in Libya.
Mehman-Parast underlined that interference of the third parties will not help resolve the misunderstanding between Iran and the United Arab Emirates on the issue.
He also announced Iran's preparedness to hold direct talks with the UAE on the existing misunderstandings over the executive arrangements of the 1971 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Abu Musa Island.
International documents clearly show that the three islands, which were historically owned by Iran, temporarily fell to British control in 1903. The islands were returned to Iran based on an agreement in 1971 before the UAE was born.
Iran has repeatedly declared that its ownership of the three islands is unquestionable.
Under international law, no state can defy any agreements, which came into being before its establishment.
Although the UAE continues to make territorial claims against the Islamic Republic despite historical evidence and international regulations, Tehran has remained open to negotiations over the issue.
|
