Alwaght- Political figures from more than 40 countries plan to participate in an international conference against violence and extremism in Tehran on December 9 and 10, the director of Iran’s Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS), Mostafa Zahrani, announced at a press conference on Saturday, Tehran Times newspaper reported.
Pointing to the agenda of the conference, head of the conference, Mostafa Zahrani asserted that the event would be inaugurated by President Rouhani addressing the gathering. “The conference is the continuation of the international even held in Qom and we want this conference to become an international entity. This issue would be decided upon in this conference,”
In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2013, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made a proposal for a united global campaign against violence and extremism. A few months later, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved Rouhani’s proposal .
For years the West has made efforts to portray Iran as a dangerous nation and to dispel this negative perception, Iran has organized the Word Against Violence and Extremism (WAVE) conference to prove to the world that the country has always been part of the solution and not the problem, Zahrani said .
He went on to say that another reason why Iran decided to organize such a conference is that extremism and violence have become threats that every country is concerned about .
Zahrani, who formerly served as a diplomat at the Iranian mission to the United Nations, said he pioneered the plan to host the conference .
Over the past 12 months, the IPIS has worked diligently to bring world dignitaries together for the conference, he added.
Prime ministers, foreign ministers, deputy ministers, and former high-ranking officials from 40 nations, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, and America, will be attending the conference, he said .
United Nations officials and members of international peace groups and think tanks will also be attending the meeting, Zahrani stated .
The outcome of the conference would be offered to the UN and would have some demand from different countries and non-governmental actors in the world.
