BERLIN, January 6. /TASS/: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed concern in a joint statement over a "negative" role that Iran plays in the Middle East, urging it to refrain from the moves going against the nuclear deal.
German government’s Spokesperson Steffen Seibert uploaded the statement to his Twitter account on Sunday. The three leaders emphasized the importance of taking measures to deescalate the situation in the region and urged all parties, specifically Iran, to exercise restraint and responsibility. "We specifically call on Iran to refrain from further violent action or proliferation, and urge Iran to reverse all measures inconsistent with the JCPOA (the Iran nuclear deal)".
"We call on all parties to exercise utmost restraint and responsibility. The current cycle of violence in Iraq must be stopped," the joint statement, released late on Sunday night, said. The three leaders pledged that they would continue efforts to reduce tensions in the region and stabilize the situation.
Merkel, Macron and Johnson also urged the Iraqi authorities to ensure support for the US-led anti-terrorist coalition. "We also reaffirm our commitment to continue the fight against Daesh (Islamic State), which remains a high priority. The preservation of the Coalition is key in this regard. We therefore urge the Iraqi authorities to continue providing the Coalition all the necessary support," it said.
On Sunday, the Iraqi parliament passed a resolution calling for the government to end the presence of foreign troops in the country in the wake of the killing of General Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, in the country.
On January 2, General Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy leader of Iraqi Shiite paramilitary force Hashd al-Shaabi, were killed in Baghdad in a US strike.
