Iran FM tells Rajji brotherly countries don't need neutral place to meet
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was surprised that his Lebanese counterpart declined an invitation to visit Iran, proposing instead to meet Araghchi in a "neutral third country".
Minister Youssef Rajji said on Wednesday that he could not accept Araghchi's invitation to visit Tehran "under the current circumstances."
"This does not mean a refusal to engage in dialogue, but rather that the conditions are not conducive to this visit," he wrote in a statement on X.
He said he invited Araghchi "to meet in a neutral third country that we both agree on".
He also expressed readiness "to open a new chapter" in bilateral relations "based strictly on mutual respect for each country's independence and sovereignty, and on non-interference in each other's internal affairs".
Araghchi is "always welcome to visit Lebanon", Rajji added.
"The foreign ministers of countries with brotherly diplomatic ties do not need a neutral place to meet," Araghchi responded Thursday, adding that he gladly accepts Rajji's invitation to visit Beirut.
"We also want to open a new chapter based on the values that Rajji mentioned," Araghchi said.
Araghchi had earlier this month invited Rajji to Iran "to consult on the development of bilateral relations and review regional and international developments", an Iranian foreign ministry statement said at the time.
On Friday, Rajji told al-Jazeera news channel that Lebanon has a problem with Iran but is open to dialogue, provided that Iran stops "interfering in our domestic affairs" and financing Hezbollah.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
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