Tehran(ANN)-Iranian and Emirati officials have agreed to bolster bilateral maritime security cooperation during a meeting in Tehran, the first such talks since 2003 which come amid heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf region.

The meeting was held in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Tuesday between a visiting Emirati delegation featuring ranking coastguard officials and Iranian security authorities, IRNA reported.

It was the sixth joint meeting addressing littoral security cooperation between the countries, and took place in line with bilateral coordination between the two sides aimed at maintaining and advancing the countries’ maritime border cooperation.

During the session, Iran’s Border Police Commander Brigadier General Qassem Rezaei held talks with Emirati Coastguard Commander Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Mesbah al-Ahbabi, with both sides calling for the improvement of bilateral diplomatic talks and efforts to strengthen security in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

Rezaei emphasized the need for favorable border relations between the Islamic Republic and other Persian Gulf littoral states.

He said Iran attaches special importance to border policing as a contact point between the countries, adding that the enhancement of bilateral relations could positively contribute to sustainable security in both countries.

Effective border interaction, he said, would, in turn, facilitate matters for the countries’ businessmen and fishers as well as those travelling to Iran and the UAE for medical or tourism purposes.

 Joint opposition to extra-regional meddling

The Iranian official said the strategic Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman belonged to regional people, asserting, “We should not allow other countries to damage the regional security, and should confront their rampage and self-serving pursuits [here].”

“We should manage common borders and establish security over them jointly [with one another] through increasing border interactions,” Rezaei noted.

The Emirati official, meanwhile, said intervention by certain governments on maritime frontlines was a “source of trouble” in the region.

He, likewise, said regional countries need to ensure security in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman under the auspices of their “favorable relations.”

Confronting smuggling

Elsewhere, Rezaei warned that regional waters have been witnessing more and more smuggling attempts, saying Tehran and Abu Dhabi need to engage in joint naval exercises aimed at bolstering border interaction and management.

Ahbabi , in tun, praised Iran for standing on the frontline of regional endeavors against drug smuggling.

He added that Iran enjoys 8,755 kilometers (5,440 miles) of joint border with its neighbors, some of whom were suffering from security crisis.

The Islamic Republic’s current security situation indicates its correct management of its borders, Ahbabi said.

Tehran and Abu Dhabi held their last such gathering in Tehran in October 2013. The latest meeting comes following a chain of naval accidents in the region’s waters.

In May, explosions hit four commercial vessels from the UAE and Saudi Arabia off the Emirates’ port of Fujairah in the Persian Gulf. A month later, two blasts occurred on board a Japanese and a Norwegian-owned vessel in the Sea of Oman.

The United States soon tried to implicate Iran in the incidents to suggest that the Islamic Republic was trying to retaliate for Washington and its allies’ efforts to trouble the Islamic Republic’s international oil sales.

 On June 15, however, Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said his country did not have enough evidence to blame any country for previous month’s naval attacks. Japan and Germany have also refuted Washington’s accusations against Iran.

Tehran has asserted that, one way or another, it would sell its oil despite the illegal and unilateral United States’ economic sanctions targeting the country.

It, however, has categorically rejected recourse to violence to make that happen. Iranian naval forces have also scrambled to the assistance of stricken vessels in regional and extra-regional waters on numerous occasions.

In May, explosions hit four commercial vessels from the UAE and Saudi Arabia off the Emirates’ port of Fujairah in the Persian Gulf.

A month later, two blasts hit a Japanese and a Norwegian-owned vessel in the Sea of Oman. Iranian naval forces gave a quick response to the distress calls from those ships and rushed to rescue their crew members.

The United States soon tried to implicate Iran in the incidents to suggest that the Islamic Republic was trying to retaliate for Washington and its allies’ efforts to trouble the Islamic Republic’s international oil sales.

On June 15, however, Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said his country did not have enough evidence to blame any country for previous month’s naval attacks.

Japan and Germany also refuted Washington’s accusations against Iran in the second incident.

Iran has roundly rejected Washington’s claims of Tehran’s involvement in such incident. It has also voiced concern about adventurism by foreign players to disrupt maritime navigation in the Persian Gulf region.

Tehran has also asserted that, one way or another, it would sell its oil despite the illegal and unilateral US sanctions against Iran, but has categorically rejected recourse to violence to make that happen.

Source: Presstv