Parliamentarian relations boost diplomatic activities of the government

Hasan Qashqavi, the Iranian foreign ministry Spokesman, said he has no information on the meeting of Iranian and US MPs. He also emphasized that the Iranian foreign ministry is not informed about the possible meeting of Ali Larijani with French foreign minister and the parliament itself should inform the media on the issue. In the meantime, Mohsen Koohkan, the spokesman for the ruling board of the parliament, answered questions on the letter of US MPs concerning negotiations with Iran. Koohkan said the Iranian MPs should decide on the issue and this will be done after careful examination of the matter. At the same time, Ali Larijani, the speaker of the parliament is holding meetings and negotiations with some regional and European officials and it seems that the Iranian parliament is extremely active on foreign policy while the government is not involved. Here is an interview with Mohammad Reza Bahonar, the deputy of the parliament speaker: On the recent activities of the parliament on foreign policy, Bahonar said the activities of the parliament and the government are of two different kinds. The parliament is independently involved in lobbies and negotiations but the final decision making on foreign policy is undoubtedly a responsibility of the government. According to Bahonar, the government and the National Security Council are the decision makers of the foreign policy but the parliament can be influential in lobbying and on the whole, the parliamentarian relations would boost the diplomatic gestures of the government. On the issue of the US MPs’ letter and Koohkan proposing that the decision making about the letter should be made by the parliament but it is not the final word on negotiation with the US, Bahonar said: The news of Iranian and US MPs meeting published by the media was later disavowed and it has been stated that the Iranian MPs visited the US congress but there was no meeting and negotiation. Despite this fact, the parliament can pursue different activities to pave the way for government decision making. What the government declares and does is under the official diplomatic orientations but the activities of the parliament in this regard are unofficial and they are just meant to help the government. On the issue of Ali Larijani’s meetings with European and Egyptian officials, and especially the meeting with the French foreign minister, Bahonar said: These meetings are not official but the decision making on foreign policy of the country would only be done by the government and the National Security Council. Bahonar said he has no information on the details of the meeting between Iranian speaker of the parliament and the French foreign minister. On the issue of Larijani’s meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Bahonar proposed asking Larijani’s office.