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Iran’s FM Warns of Far-Reaching Effects of Insecurity

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed the notion that some countries could enjoy security at the expense of insecurity for the others, stressing that security has become a “globalized” issue in the contemporary era.

Delivering a speech at Thailand’s Foreign Ministry in Bangkok on Friday, the top Iranian diplomat called for concerted action against the sources of insecurity.

“One thing that we have failed to recognize… is (that) our security is globalized, that you cannot live in a secure world where others are suffering from insecurity. There can no longer be islands of security,” he explained.

“All of us need to recognize that in our world, today, you cannot gain at the expense of others, you cannot be secure when others are insecure, you cannot be prosperous when others are in poverty,” Zarif added.

He then reiterated that violence and extremism will not be confined to a specific region in the world.

“There is nothing that can be localized, look at our region… Some unfortunately believe that extremism, radicalism could be contained in Iraq and Syria, that radicals, extremists and the Syrian soldiers could kill each other off. Now we see the consequences, we see that extremism cannot be contained in one locality, one country, one region, one continent.”

The top Iranian diplomat is in Thailand as part of a tour of Southeast Asia and Australia.

He attended the 14th Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok on Thursday and held meetings with top Thai officials.

Emad Askarieh

Emad Askarieh has worked as a journalist since 2002. The main focus of his work is foreign policy and world diplomacy. He started his career at Iran Front Page Media Group, and is currently serving as the World Editor and the Vice-President for Executive Affairs at the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website.