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FM elucidates Iran's outlook crucial issues

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tokyo, March 1, IRNA
Iran-Mottaki-Japan
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that his visit to Japan aimed to clarify Iran's approach to and outlook on various developments, including the country's nuclear policies as well as paving the way for reliable long-term bilateral relations.

Prior to leaving Tokyo on Wednesday, he told IRNA that during his stay in Japan, he reflected Iran's dissatisfaction with the approach of the Japanese officials towards Iran's nuclear activities.

During his three-day visit, the minister conferred with Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Aso, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and House of Representatives Speaker Yuhi Kono on matters of mutual concern.

He pointed to the visit as his first, during which high-level political talks were held between the two significant countries of the Asian continent, despite the visit of high-ranking Japanese delegations to Iran in recent months.

"Importance of mutual economic relations, Japan's reliance on the states bordering the Persian Gulf, including Iran, its interest in playing a role in the Middle East and helping Afghanistan and Iraq and eventually as the president of the UN nuclear watchdog's Board of Governors were among the issues that required high-level mutual talks," he added.

Mottaki said that in his talks with Japanese officials, regional issues were discussed with special focus on the need to associate the insecurity in Iraq with the presence of foreign troops and that these two matters should be considered as interlinked.

"The issue of narcotics in Afghanistan and indigenous promotion of security in Iraq by its government were also on the agenda," he added.

He referred to Japan as the greatest trade partner of Iran at the present time and put the volume of exchanges at 11.5 billion dollars.

"Safeguarding such mutual ties against political impactibility and pressures of third parties, which will be to the interest of both sides, is a grave responsibility for both countries.

"Just as Iran-Japan relations should not be defined against any third country, the consciousness of the officials of the two states should not allow such parties to interfere with their bonds and this needs continuous exchange of views at various levels," he added.

Mottaki noted that in his meeting with Koizumi, he said that Japanese companies are welcome to participate in the establishment of nuclear power plants in Iran.

He noted that another issue discussed in Tokyo was cooperation in the energy sector as well as oil, gas and petrochemical projects currently underway in Iran, in which the Japanese are involved, such as Azadegan project, one of the major ones in the post-revolutionary era.

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