Iran's Foreign Ministry has voiced its protest to Russian Ambassador to Tehran Alexey Dedov over the final statement of the ministerial meeting within the framework of the strategic dialogue between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council, in which three disputed islands were mentioned, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday.
According to the news agency, the Russian envoy was summoned to the Foreign Ministry. A protest was lodged over the joint statement of the foreign ministers of Russia and the GCC countries, in which Iran’s ownership of three islands in the Persian Gulf was challenged. The ministry asked Russia to adjust its position on the issue, emphasizing that the islands belong to Iran, the agency said.
On Monday, the Russian capital city hosted the sixth round of talks at the foreign ministerial level within the framework of the strategic dialogue between Russia and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the parties adopted a joint statement and a joint action plan for 2023-2028. The statement of the organization's secretariat, in particular, indicated that the ministers "reaffirmed their support for all peace efforts, including the initiative of the United Arab Emirates and its efforts to achieve a peaceful solution to the issue of the three islands - Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa - through bilateral negotiations or in the UN International Court of Justice." These islands are located in a strategically important area of the Persian Gulf. Their ownership is disputed by the UAE and Iran.
