Iranian Foreign Ministry praises Azerbaijan's efforts to strengthen regional cooperation

Tehran expresses its gratitude to the Azerbaijani government for hosting the CICA summit in Baku and for its efforts to strengthen regional cooperation, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said at the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku.

Report quotes him as saying the CICA summit is taking place at a time when Asia, despite its enormous human, economic and civilizational potential, faces a range of complex security threats.

"Unresolved regional crises make it more necessary than ever to reconsider existing approaches to security and strengthen cooperation among Asian countries," he said.

Commenting on the situation in the Middle East, the Iranian deputy foreign minister stressed that Tehran's position is based on a fundamental principle: the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states must be respected.

According to him, the current situation in the region reflects an international environment in which the norms of international law are not applied equally to all states.

"The future of Asia must be built on respect for state sovereignty, justice, joint development and cooperation among countries. Iran is ready to actively contribute to building such a future through responsible diplomacy, regional cooperation and the protection of the principles of international law," he added.

The deputy minister emphasized that Iran has always sought to build the most favorable possible relations with its neighbors.