Iranian, Finnish FMs discuss developments in West Asia

Tehran, Nov 7 (IANS) Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and his Finnish counterpart Elina Valtonen have exchanged views on the latest developments in the West Asia region.

In a phone call, Araghchi said Iran's history showed that Iranians are peace-loving people, blaming the crisis in West Asia on Israel's "warmongering and genocide," according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

He slammed certain European countries for their "paradoxical and contradictory" approaches towards Israeli "crimes" in the region, regretting that no effective action has been taken by the European Union to counter Israel's law violations and crimes in its ongoing offensives against Palestine and Lebanon, Xinhua news agency reported.

Valtonen, for her part, expressed concern about the humanitarian disasters in West Asia, hoping that peace and stability would be restored to the region as soon as possible.

The Finnish Foreign Minister added that stopping the violence required the continuation of talks and consultations among all parties.

During the phone talk, the two sides also highlighted the necessity of continuing consultations to expand bilateral relations and consular cooperation.