IRAN MINISTER DISCUSSES REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS WITH GEORGIAN PRESIDENT

Islamic Republic News Agency
Sept 17 2008

Tehran, 17 September: Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki
in a meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili discussed
issues related to the Caucasus region and how to implement peace and
stability in the region.

According to an IRNA correspondent in Tbilisi, Mottaki referred to
recent incidents and the human casualties. He said: We are saddened
by the recent bitter incidents and human casualties. We follow up
incidents carefully and are sensitive to peace and stability of
the region.

The minister of foreign affairs of our country described the recent
diplomatic moves made by the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Caucasus
incident. He said: We have had constructive and useful consultation
with various involved parties in the region concerning how to find
appropriate solutions to the present situation and to identify
appropriate methods to restore peace and security.

Referring to his consultations with officials in Moscow, Baku, Berlin
and Armenia, he stressed: We had useful consultations with Russian,
Azeri, Armenian and German officials on how to find a mechanism to
restore peace and security in the Caucasus within the framework of
regional interests and approaches. Today in Tbilisi in line with the
same consultations, the background events that led to the incident
and the methods to get out of the crisis were discussed. We hope that
by identifying solutions to the crisis, we can take positive steps
to achieve peace and security in the Caucasus region.

Our foreign minister also discussed bilateral issues with the Georgian
president.

Mikheil Saakashvili, the Georgian president, also referred to the
position of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region and stressed:
Iran enjoys an important position in the region.

He added: We attach great importance to the deepening of our ties
with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Georgia is indebted to Iran.

He also called for constant consultation between Tehran and Tbilisi
to achieve this objective.

The Georgian president described the current dispute in the region
and said that the dispute is destructive. He expressed the hope that
regional consultation and the moves by the Islamic Republic of Iran
would pave the way for the restoration of peace and security in the
Caucasus region.

He stressed: We are ready to cooperate with any regional power that
is capable of normalizing the situation.