Addressing the meeting of high-ranking delegations of Iran and Sri Lanka in Tehran on Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani described relations between the two countries positive and friendly and said, “the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to deepen relations with Sri Lanka in all fields as Sri Lanka is a friendly country.”
“Iranian companies and experts are ready to provide technical-engineering services to Sri Lanka in different fields such as construction of dams and power plants, as well as development of refineries and delivering power to villages in Sri Lanka,” continued Mr. Rouhani.
He also mentioned preferential trade, extraterritorial agriculture and cooperation in the fields of culture, art, sport, science, academy, medicine, and tourism as very good potentials for deepening relations.
He also referred to good cooperation between Iran and Sri Lanka in international organizations and communities, saying, “the Islamic Republic of Iran's foreign policy is based on peace, security and constructive interaction with the world.”
Stressing that the nuclear deal proved to the world that Iran is a peace-seeking country, Mr. Rouhani added, “today, we see that the 5 [signatory] countries from Europe and the international community emphasize the implementation of this agreement and insist on its continuation.”
The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran also described the United States' unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as a move against morality, convention and international laws, saying, "the commitments of governments in the international system are continuous and no government can withdraw from the commitments that the previous government had made based on the regulations of the United Nations.”
“The policy of Iran in the region is based on efforts to maintain security, stability and the fight against terrorism," said Mr. Rouhani, emphasizing, “today, we are happy that we were able to help the Iraqi government and nation to bring ISIL to its knees.”
The president added, “terrorism is a major problem for the region and the world, and we must all work together to fight terrorists.”
“It is very regrettable that the Palestinian people have endured 70 years of oppression and crime and the Zionist Regime is continuing its actions,” added the President.
“The fight against drugs is the responsibility of all countries of the region," he said, pointing out that Iran and Sri Lanka's cooperation with international organizations was highly effective.
Mr. Rouhani added, "certainly, this visit is an important step for full development of Iran-Sri Lanka relations and cooperation, and I hope that in the near future we will see a comprehensive development of relations in various sectors such as science, culture, economy, trade and politics.”
President Maithripala Sirisena of Sri Lanka said, “Relations between Iran and Sri Lanka are friendly and long-lasting, and this visit is a great opportunity to strengthen and develop relations and cooperation between Tehran and Colombo.”
“We pay no attention to some countries' objections to our relations with Iran,” he said, adding, “we have never been in favor of political and economic sanctions against Iran and believe that world powers should rethink their policies towards Iran.”
He also welcomed cooperation in various sectors of energy, tourism, transportation, banking, agriculture, technical training, electricity, refinery construction and other areas of interest to both sides.
YNG/4295475
Your Comment