China, Iran say ME not battleground for big powers

BEIJING: The top diplomats of China and Iran agreed on Saturday that the Middle East is “not a battleground for the big powers” and should not be an arena of geopolitical competition between countries outside the region.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi agreed that “the international community should respect the sovereignty, security, stability, unity and territorial integrity of Middle East countries,” according to a readout from Beijing’s foreign ministry.