In a phone call on Fridays, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has congratulated Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on the beginning of his tenure.
Wang relayed the Chinese president’s regards to the Leader of Islamic Revolution and the Iranian President, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s press service.
The top Chinese diplomat highlighted the key and constructive role of Iran in regional developments.
The Chinese foreign minister said Beijing seeks a comprehensive expansion of bilateral ties with Tehran, emphasizing the Chinese president’s serious determination to expand Sino-Iranian relations.
Wang said, “We believe that no international development or obstacle can disrupt the two countries’ stable relations”.
China’s top diplomat also said Beijing is ready to implement bilateral agreements previously reached between the two sides including the 25-year Strategic Cooperation Agreement.
Wang said the two sides should follow up on agreements reached during the phone call between the Iranian and Chinese presidents.
He stressed that the international community has no other option but to combat unilateralism and bullying in the international arena.
Wang went on to announce the dispatch of a large number of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine shots to Iran in September and in the coming days.
To Iranian diplomat, Amir Abdollahian, for his part, stressed the strategic ties between the two sides and the long-running friendship between the two nations.
He thanked China for supporting Iran's bid to accede to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Amir Abdollahian described the United States’ unilateralism as a threat to global peace and stability, and stressed that it is Iran’s definite policy to oppose certain powers’ intervention in the domestic affairs of other countries including China.
The Iranian foreign minister said ties between the two sides are based on strategic friendship and long-running partnership. He expounded on the priorities of the 13th Iranian administration including a foreign policy that focuses on Asia, adding that Tehran is determined to expand ties with Beijing in all fields.
Amir Abdollahian said the government and the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic are working diligently to implement the Strategic Cooperation Agreement, and pursuing the plans for the expansion of ties.
He said it is necessary to further speed up Chinese vaccine deliveries in line with the agreement of the presidents of the two countries and highlighted the importance of this in containing the current outbreak [of the coronavirus] in Iran.
The foreign ministers of Iran and China also stressed the necessity of the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan with the participation of all tribes and groups.
They also emphasized that the fight against terrorism and illegal drug trade is an important priority. Wang and Amir Abdollahian said the flow of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan must not be hindered and the country’s border crossings must remain open.
The two sides stressed that the United States is responsible for the current situation in Afghanistan, and that America played an unconstructive role regarding Afghan people over the past two decades.
The Chinese and Iranian foreign ministers agreed to meet for further talks on the sidelines of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
MAH/MFA