Iran’s President Hopes for Stronger Ties with Neighbors
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said he would soon visit three neighboring countries, hoping the trips would lead to stronger ties with regional states and enhanced security and stability in the region.
“(Soon) I will travel to three countries in the region and I hope that during these trips, Iran’s ties with neighboring states and these three countries will be reinforced and we can resolve issues in the region and that the region will move toward more stability and security,” the president told reporters on Sunday, after a meeting with Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Judiciary Chief Sadeq Amoli Larijani in Tehran.
“Relations with regional countries are of significance to us politically, security-wise, and economically,” he underlined.
Later in the day, the president’s deputy chief of staff for communications and information, Parviz Esmaeili, said Rouhani is to set off on a two-day visit to Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan to discuss ways of improving mutual relations and the latest developments in the region with those countries’ officials.
Heading a high-ranking delegation, the president will leave Tehran for Ashgabat on Tuesday on the first leg of his tour at the invitation of his Turkmen counterpart, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Esmaeili said.
After the official ceremony to welcome the Iranian president, Rouhani and Berdimuhamedow will hold talks and then the two countries’ high-ranking delegations would meet, he added.
The official noted that Iran and Turkmenistan would also sign documents for cooperation in the presence of the two presidents while the Iranian and Turkmen tradesmen would also discuss possible avenues for boosting trade ties.
He added that the Iranian chief executive would pay a short visit to the ancient city of Merv on Wednesday.
Esmaeili further stated that the Iranian president would head for Baku Wednesday evening to hold talks with his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev.
In the presence of Rouhani and Aliyev, Tehran and Baku are scheduled to sign several cooperation documents after which the two presidents will attend a joint press conference, he added.
The Iranian official said an economic meeting would be held on Thursday to discuss the strengthening of cooperation among the two countries’ state-run sectors and economic agents.
