Execution of Navid Afkari; Mohammad Javad Zarif's trip to Europe canceled
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has claimed that the reason for the cancellation of Mohammad Javad Zarif's trip to Europe was the coronavirus and logistical problems. This comes despite politicians from various German parties calling on the country's Foreign Minister to cancel the appointment.
Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, was scheduled to travel to three European countries, including Germany, to discuss the nuclear deal and the European financial mechanism for financial transactions with Iran. Zarif was scheduled to meet with his European counterparts in Germany, Britain, and Paris.
On the eve of Zarif's trip to Europe, the German newspaper "Bild", relying on its news sources, has announced the cancellation of his trip to Europe.
Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, also confirmed the news of Zarif's cancellation of his trip to Europe. The official reason for Zarif's cancellation of his trip to Europe by the ministries of the three countries mentioned has not yet been announced. This is while commentators in German newspapers do not consider Zarif's cancellation of his trip to Europe to be unrelated to the execution of Navid Afkari.
The Islamic Republic has not given a specific reason for canceling Mohammad Javad Zarif's trip to Europe. Iran has cited "logistical problems."
Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in response to a question from an Etemad reporter, said: "In the last few weeks, plans had been made for the Foreign Minister's future trips to some African, Asian, and European countries, but due to logistical problems caused by the spread of the COVID-19 virus, these trips have not yet been finalized and it is unlikely that they will be finalized in the next few weeks."
Reaction to the execution of Navid Afkari
The German newspaper “Bild” was the first German-language media outlet to report the cancellation of Mohammad Javad Zarif’s trip to Europe. The newspaper’s reporter did not rule out the possibility that the cancellation of the trip was related to the news of Navid Afkari’s execution. The newspaper’s report referred to the reaction of athletes and the German Sports Federation to the news of Navid Afkari’s execution.
A report published by the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper in this regard states that Zarif was probably afraid that he would be forced to answer questions from journalists and his peers in Germany regarding the execution of Navid Afkari.
Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, went on to say that the trips will take place "as soon as logistical issues are resolved and the necessary coordination related to Corona protocols is made," and that the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide information in this regard.
In this regard, the Süddeutsche Zeitung has emphasized that postponing Zarif's trip to Europe should not lead to forgetting the execution of Navid Afkari and the violation of human rights in Iran.
The commentator of this German newspaper continued: "The international community should not forget the name of Navid Afkari." The newspaper continued by calling for the execution of Navid Afkari to be pursued, stating that if this is not done, talking about human rights will be practically pointless.
Omid Nouripour, a politician from the German Green Party, had also asked the German Foreign Ministry to cancel Zarif's visit to the country.
In an interview with the newspaper "Tats", Nouripour expressed doubts about the possibility of the German government taking a decisive stance on this matter, saying that he would therefore prefer that Zarif not be invited to Germany under such circumstances.
Source: DW
