Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Salehi outlines his ministry's new plans to promote foreign ties

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Dec 18, IRNA -- Caretaker of the Foreign Ministry Ali-Akbar Salehi outlined new plans to promote ties with different foreign countries.

Talking in a farewell ceremony held for former foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki here Saturday morning, he said Iran should program its foreign policies towards achieving the highest efficiency.

Given the present situation in the region and the international arena, he added, Iran should focus on the neighboring countries and the Islamic world in the first place to get to this end.

He referred to Saudi Arabia and Turkey as the two countries which hold the most significant position in Iran’s foreign policy scheme due to their specific situations.

Salehi described Saudi Arabia as one of the pillars of the global economy and said as the seat of two of Muslims’ most sacred places it deserved special political ties with Iran.

He said Iran and Saudi Arabia as two influential countries in the region and the Islamic world could tackle many problems through cooperation.

Furthermore, pointing to many cultural and ideological points Iran and Turkey shared, he said further strengthening of ties with Turkey as a powerful country which enjoys a zealous nation and a strategic position will benefit the Islamic world.

The foreign ministry caretaker also referred to China and Russia as two countries which for a multitude of reasons enjoy a special position and need special political attention.

As for ties with the European Union, Salehi said despite illogical, unprincipled and unfair behaviors, the EU members still sought stable ties with Iran for a number of reasons including the energy issue.

Noting that Iran will be the EU’s biggest neighbor once Turkey becomes a member of the union, Salehi said the speedy transforming of confrontation to cooperation by the EU will be in the interest of both sides.

However, he added, this did not mean that other countries like Syria, Lebanon and Iraq with whom Iran has deeply-rooted relations will be neglected.

He said an Islamic government should not act in a way that its Islamic dignity is tarnished or questioned.

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