Upon his arrival in Tehran on Sunday, UN Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien met with Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, where the two sides exchanged views on bilateral issues as well as joint cooperation in the area of humanitarian missions among regional countries.
Following the meeting, Rahmani Fazli told reporters that relations between Iran and the UN can be highly effective in exchanging experiences, education, as well as bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
“During the meeting, it was decided that Iran should have a more active presence in international communities, and its capacities be better utilized,” he said, adding “in turn, we would be better able to use the experiences and capabilities of the UN.”
Rahmani Fazli referred to the current humanitarian crises in the region including wars and the refugee crisis, calling on the United Nation to have a more active confrontation with these issues.
“We also discussed drug trafficking and its link with terrorism and violence,” he added.
“Those in charge of humanitarian crises and narcotics trafficking at the UN all acknowledge that Iran is the top country in combating drug trafficking and accepting refugees,” he stressed.
The UN top official has so far sat down for talks with a number of Iranian officials on expansion of regional cooperation in the field of humanitarian aid. Increasing cooperation and partnership between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is one of his stated objectives for this two-day visit.
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