“Relations with China have always been strategic for Iran,” said President Rouhani on Friday in a meeting with the President of China on the sidelines of the 19th Summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Bishkek.

Iran Press/Asia: Hassan Rouhani and Xi Jinping in their meeting on Friday discussed bilateral ties as well as the latest regional and international developments. President Rouhani stressed the unity of the Iranian nation in the face of foreign pressures, reported Iran Press. The Iranian President also called ties with China as 'always strategic'. He also praised China’s resistance against US unilateralism, saying the whole of Asia would benefit from this resistance.

President Rouhani was officially welcomed by Kyrgyzstan premier on Thursday when he arrived in Bishkek to attend the 19th SCO Summit. The 19th SCO Summit is held on 13 and 14 June, attended by leaders of 11 countries, including Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan and Iran.

SCO is an intergovernmental organization which was founded for multilateral political, economic and security cooperation. China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and India are major members while, Iran, Mongolia, Afghanistan and Belarus have observer status.

Rouhani will leave Bishkek for Dushanbe on the second leg of his trip to attend the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). CICA is an inter-governmental forum for enhancing cooperation in order to promote peace, security and stability in Asia. Iran, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Korea, China, Russia, India, Palestine, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan Republic and Thailand are among members of CICA. 203/211

 

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