Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 24 /Trend/
Iran and its neighbors are capable of maintaining security in the Persian Gulf region, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, IRNA reported.
"If US, Britain and Nato would depart Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, Iran and other regional countries would be able to ensure security of both energy and the region," Ahmadinejad said in a press conference on 4th day of his working visit of New York.
"On pretext of ensuring the security of energy and the region some countries are now present in the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea region. We hereby announce that if Nato and the United States would get out of the region the regional countries would ensure the security of the region," he added.
Ahmadinejad is in New York to take part in the 66th UN General Assembly. He is to deliver a keynote speech at the UNGA later today.
During the visit, he is accompanied by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, Energy Minister Majid Namjou, Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Mehdi Gazafari, Minister of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare Abdur Reza Sheikholeslam.
The Iranian president plans to hold separate meetings with a number of world leaders as well as various American groups and the Iranians residing in the US.
It is Ahmadinejad's seventh visit to the U.S. since his first presidency (2005).
On Sept. 22, immediately after the Iranian president began his speech, the U.S. delegation left the hall of session of the UN General Assembly. Ahmadinejad accused the United States and West of "all problems of mankind", Trend special correspondent reported.
Last year, Ahmadinejad's speech at the UN General Assembly also broke the scandal. He said the U.S. administration was involved in the 9/11 tragedy. The U.S. delegation left the meeting during Ahmadinejad's speech.
Edited by T.Konyayeva.