Iran Press/ Iran News: Ali Bagheri made the remarks in a meeting with ambassadors and heads of political missions of ASEAN member states on Monday, November 21st, in Tehran.
In the meeting with the ambassadors of Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam as well as the chargé d'affaires of the Philippines and Thailand, Bagheri pointed to the potential for cooperation among Asian countries. He said ASEAN has a proper capacity to promote economic cooperation.
Bagheri noted that economic cooperation institutionalizes regional stability and peace and eliminates any excuses for foreign meddling in regional affairs.
The Iranian deputy foreign minister then pointed to the political and self-centered approach adopted by Western governments toward international issues, saying the fight against terrorism and narco-trafficking and protecting human rights are not valuable from the viewpoint of Western governments, but are part of their foreign policy toolbox. For this reason, Bagheri added, the West will support terrorism and violate human rights whenever it suits its interests.
For their part, each of the ASEAN members’ ambassadors and diplomats underlined the need for strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation. They said promoting cooperation between ASEAN member states and Iran will stabilize the long-term interests of all sides.
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