Ahmadinejad Blames Regional Crises on West

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described Western interference as the root cause of conflicts in the region, particularly in South Ossetia.

“The underlying cause of many regional problems is interference from outside the region,” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted by press tv as saying in a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on Thursday.

“The presence of the US and its allies in the region, as a result of occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, has raised tension in the region and sown the seed of discord among regional nations,” Ahmadinejad said after Medvedev briefed him on the latest developments in Georgia.

The Russian president also referred to Iran’s nuclear standoff with the West and called for more “dialogue” and “discussion” to resolve the issue.

President Ahmadinejad returned from Tajikistan Friday morning.