SAEDNEWS: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and his Dutch counterpart David van Weel reaffirmed their countries’ readiness to restart bilateral political and consular consultations, describing the step as essential for strengthening cooperation.
Araqchi, attending the 30th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, met with Dutch official van Weel on Tuesday.
During their talks, the senior diplomats reviewed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international developments.
Building on a recent visit to Tehran by a senior Dutch Foreign Ministry official, both sides emphasized that reviving structured political and consular consultations would be a key step in expanding ties between Iran and the Netherlands.
Highlighting the rapidly changing global landscape and the rising influence of confrontational unilateralism, Araqchi stressed the responsibility of all governments to uphold the rule of law and to avoid supporting—or ignoring—coercive and illegal actions on the international stage.
The Iranian foreign minister also drew attention to the suffering of Iranian victims of chemical weapons used by Saddam Hussein’s regime, including those in the city of Sardasht.
Araqchi underscored the responsibility of European states that directly or indirectly supported Iraq’s chemical weapons program, naming the Netherlands and Germany. He called for serious cooperation from these countries to ensure independent judicial investigations into the individuals and entities involved in the former Iraqi regime’s chemical attacks against the Iranian people.
