In a meeting with the Iranian official on Thursday, Dzhagaryan said that his intention to publish the photo was merely a reminder of Russia's alliance with Britain against the Nazi army during World War II, he said adding that there was no anti-Iranian motive or purpose behind the published photo.
Stressing on the strategic, deep, and friendly relations between Iran and Russia, he felt sorry over the published photo which has caused misunderstanding and resentment for the Iranians.
After hearing the ambassador's explanations, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while emphasizing the friendly relations between Iran and Russia, reminded him that the publication of this photo, even with the stated intention, was not acceptable and necessary attention to the country's historical, political and cultural requirements should be carefully considered by the ambassadors.
During the meeting, it was also emphasized that the great nation of Iran over the past 42 years has repeatedly proved that they have protected the independence that they have gained with historical sacrifices and resistance, and as a powerful country, they regulate their relations with other countries based on national dignity.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also slammed Russian and British Ambassadors for publishing the picture.
Nominee for Iran’s Foreign Ministry Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Thursday called for compensation for the mistake made by Russia and Britain Ambassadors in publishing a controversial picture.
The Twitter account of Russia’s Embassy in Iran published a photo yesterday, showing the new British Ambassador to Tehran Simon Shercliff sitting with Russia’s Ambassador Levan Dzhagaryan on the upstairs in the porch of the Russian Embassy building.
The location and setting reminded the 1943 Tehran conference where the then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, then US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and then Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin sit at the same place for the photo opportunity.
The conference is widely notorious among Iranians and is considered as aggression and humiliation of Iranian identity and sovereignty. The photo was broadly criticized by all walks of life in Iranian media and social networks.
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