“We believe that if our neighbors are in peace, we will also enjoy security”

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi emphasized the need for cooperation among the Middle East countries to establish security in the region.

“We believe that if our neighbors are in peace, we will also enjoy security, and that through assistance and close cooperation we can establish security in the region,” Salehi said during a press conference in Kuwait on Wednesday.

The conference came after Salehi's meeting with Kuwaiti National Assembly speaker Jassim al-Kharafi earlier in the day, where he said Tehran and Kuwait would also soon establish a joint high commission.

The visit comes to mend Iranian-Kuwaiti ties strained since 2010 over allegations by Kuwaiti officials accusing Iran of links with a spy cell in the Gulf emirate.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry had responded to the claim by expressing “dismay” and dismissed the remarks as “irresponsible.”

Salehi described his visit to Kuwait as aimed at “eliminating the false misunderstanding,” expressing optimism that the mission has “partly” been accomplished. “We are sure about the future of our relations with our neighbors because we want peace and security for the whole region,” he stated.

The Iranian foreign minister reiterated Tehran's dismissal of the spying allegations against Iran. “The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been a reliable neighbor for all the countries in the region,” Salehi said.