Iran's president-elect ready for 'constructive dialogue' with Arab world

Pezeshkian expressed these views in an editorial titled "Together for a Strong and Prosperous Region" published in the London newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed  on Wednesday. "I am ready to reach out to our brothers, sisters and neighbors in the region and work together to take steps towards constructive dialogue and improved cooperation and unity among the countries and governments of the region," he wrote. "I believe in the power of logic" Pezeshkian called on all  countries in the region to rely, among other things, on "the power of logic, not the logic of power," and work to "lay the foundations of a strong regional architecture."

He said that an inclusive, constructive and goal-oriented dialogue aimed at contributing to regional unity and cooperation is the only way to successfully overcome existing challenges. "I extend the hand of friendship and brotherhood to all  neighbors and countries in the region to achieve this goal," the president-elect wrote.  Pezeshkian stressed that Iran and its Arab and Islamic neighbors agree on many regional and international issues and have common interests. He cited the countries' resistance to "the monopoly of a few countries in international decision-making" and "the division and polarization of the world  based on the interests of great powers" as some of their common positions. To Palestine  "Healing the old wound [that is] the  occupation of Palestine is a problem we all face," Pezeshkian wrote.

The Islamic Republic believes that the  realization of  peace and security in the region depends on comprehensive resistance to the occupation and recognition of the "natural and self-evident" rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to independence and self-determination. .  In this regard, Pezeshkian stressed the need to "put an end to the occupation, apartheid, genocide and state terrorism perpetrated by the  Zionist Occupied Territories."  He also considered Tel Aviv's nuclear weapons a  threat to regional and international peace and security. "With the cooperation of the nations of the region and the world, we must take steps to build a Middle East region free of weapons of mass destruction," the president-elect said, concluding his speech by asserting that the Islamic Republic "respects the power of weapons of mass destruction" among its neighbors as its own, and warned that the continuation of  crises and disagreements in the region only serves to benefit  occupying regimes and foreign powers.