TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has described the maintenance of security and stability in the Persian Gulf region as a “global necessity”.

Mottaki made the remarks on Saturday at the Seventh International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Regional Security Summit: The Manama Dialogue.
The summit, hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain, opened on December 3 and runs until December 5.
Policymakers and dignitaries from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Australia, Britain, France, India, Japan, Russia, the United States, and Turkey are attending the conference.
Mottaki told participants at the conference, “This region is the supplier of the world’s energy, and ensuring the supply and transfer of energy is regarded as a major concern.”
“This region, given its strategic location, plays a significant role in global equations and the scope of developments (in the Persian Gulf) has extended beyond the region and affects the entire global community,” he stated.
He added, “The Persian Gulf, as a bridge between Asia, Europe, and Africa, has always been at the center of attention for world political figures.”
Today the security issue has come into the spotlight from various angles, including its political, cultural, and environmental aspects, Mottaki said.
“Unfortunately, certain powers are taking advantage of the potential of the region,” the Iranian foreign minister stated.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Mottaki said that religious and ethnic discord, border clashes, drug trafficking, organized crime, the activities of terrorist groups, the presence of foreign troops, the acceleration of the arms race, and militarization are the main challenges faced by the region.
He emphasized that permanent stability in the region can only be achieved through cooperation among regional states.
Mottaki proposes 4-point plan for Persian Gulf security
Mottaki also proposed the following four-point plan on additional cooperation among regional states to help promote security in the Persian Gulf region:
(1) Comprehensive approach toward the security issue: To campaign against phenomena such as terrorism necessitates the adoption of a comprehensive approach and macro-planning. Outsiders’ military presence, the establishment of military bases in the region, and the increase in the number of forces have not and will not meet security needs, and the history of the region has proven this.
(2) Indigenization of security: The indigenization of security must be organized based on cooperation and mutual trust within the international framework. It has been proven that the presence of extra-regional forces and their interference, with the aim of creating an unhealthy rivalry among the countries and undermining their relations, are among the main goals of the meddlers.
(3) Avoiding inconsistent models: Respecting the cultures and customs of countries is a necessity for the promotion of coexistence and insisting on presenting a particular model is not appropriate. The imposition, injection, and generalization of inconsistent models will undermine security.
(4) Paying attention to the role of the players: Iran welcomes the establishment of peace and security, and each Muslim state must welcome it when another one’s power increases.
Iran can offer better solutions to regional issues
On the sidelines of the summit, Mottaki attended a press conference in which he stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran can offer better solutions to regional issues than the West.
“We believe you should not complicate regional issues, and we have better formulas for resolving issues,” Mottaki said, addressing the West.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Mottaki welcomed the proposal presented by the Bahraini foreign minister on the establishment of a nuclear fuel bank.
Since Iran has acquired nuclear technology, a branch of this bank should be based in Iran, he stated.
The Iranian foreign minister also said that Iran suggests that the nuclear weapons states join the campaign to make the dream of “nuclear energy for all, nuclear weapons for no one” a reality.