Tehran - Saba:
The Iranian Foreign Ministry presented the German Charge d'affaires in Tehran with a protest note on Thursday over the German Foreign Minister's unjustified decision to deny consular services to Iranian citizens residing in Germany.
Tasnim International News Agency reported that following the German Foreign Minister's irrational decision to close the Islamic Republic of Iran's consulates in that country, Chargé d'affaires of the German Embassy in Tehran Hans-Peter Jogel was summoned by the Foreign Ministry's Western Europe First Department and was informed of Iran's strong protest.
In this meeting, the head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Western Europe Department condemned the German government's destructive and unjustified approach towards the Iranian people, including with regard to Iranians living in Germany, and reminded him of the following points:
1) The German government's decision to stop the activities of the consulates of the Islamic Republic of Iran in this country is unjustified.
The main mission of the Iranian consulates in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich is to provide basic consular services to Iranians living in Germany and support their interests with the host country, and the German government's decision to close these centres is a deliberate deprivation of Iranians from benefiting from consular facilities and services.
This decision by the German Foreign Minister causes unnecessary inconvenience to Iranian citizens living in Germany and violates their fundamental rights. It also cuts off one of the most important and long-standing channels of communication between the two countries, Iran and Germany.
2) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran considers the statement of the German Foreign Minister to be ridiculous, intrusive, unprofessional and tactless, and considers it devoid of any legal basis or value. It also emphasises that Germany's unconstructive approach is a major miscalculation and that the German government will be held responsible for its consequences.
3) The Islamic Republic of Iran, by recalling the principles and norms of international law, including respect for national sovereignty, prohibition of interference in the internal affairs of states, and respect for the jurisdictions of states, as well as by referring to the obligation of all governments to prevent and combat terrorism, deplores the German government's approach of disrespecting the principles and norms of international law and condemns any support for terrorism and killing of innocent people, including under the guise of protecting nationals.
The German Chargé d'affaires also stated in this summons that he will inform his government of this matter.
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