On December 23, 2023, the Iranian Foreign Ministry posted a notice on its website that the Russian chargé d'affaires in Tehran had been summoned over the dispute over three islands – Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb – occupied and controlled by Tehran but claimed by the United Arab Emirates. The Moscow Times reported: "Summoning of Moscow's charge d'affaires came days after Iran's key ally Russia signed a joint declaration with Arab countries which 'supported peaceful solutions and initiatives' to resolve the dispute over the islands. Iran's foreign ministry... summoned Moscow's charge d'affaires in Tehran, in the absence of its ambassador, to submit a 'note of protest' on the contents of the joint statement."[1] Last July, Iran summoned the Russian ambassador to protest a similar statement signed by Russia and the Arab countries on the islands, since Tehran considers the three islands to be a major matter of nation sovereignty and is not willing to negotiate any peaceful settlement regarding its sovereignty over the islands.
Following is the statement by Iran's Foreign Ministry:[2]
(Source: Wikipedia)
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"The assistant director general of the Persian Gulf Department of Iran's Foreign Ministry on Saturday, December 23, 2023, summoned the Russian chargé d'affaires in Tehran in the absence of the country's ambassador. During the summoning, the Islamic Republic of Iran's strong protest was conveyed to him over Moscow's repeated support for the baseless claims made in a statement issued by the 6th conference of the Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum in Morocco.
"In the meeting, the assistant director general of the Persian Gulf Department of Iran's Foreign Ministry reminded the Russian diplomat of the necessity of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries as a recognized and basic principle of relations among world nations. The Foreign Ministry official reaffirmed Iran's eternal sovereignty over the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf and stressed that the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran rejects any claim from any side in this regard as unacceptable.
"The Russian chargé d'affaires stressed that he will convey the Islamic Republic of Iran's protest quickly to his country's officials."
