Extremism, Violence Common Threat to All Nations, Iran’s Zarif Says

Zarif on Friday pointed to the insecurity caused by terror groups and their heinous crimes in the Middle East region and the world, and said, “Today, the same violence that exists in Syria is occurring in Paris.”

“We are all sitting in the same boat and nobody can escape from the reality and we should accept that fates of all of us are integrated,” he said, speaking at the closing ceremony of the 5th Iran International Green Film Festival in Tehran.

Zarif was referring to recent attacks in Europe by terrorist groups operating in Syria, including November 13 attacks in Paris that killed 130 and suicide bombings in Brussels in March, which left 32 dead. ISIS (also known as ISIL or Daesh) terrorist group claimed responsibility for both attacks.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed insurgency with various terrorist groups, including ISIS, controlling parts of the country.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Zarif emphasized that Iranians are opposed to violence against human being, nature and living creatures, calling for efforts to use the arts to introduce the rich culture to the world.