Solomon Islands Stresses Expansion of Ties with Iran

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Solomon Islands have taken steps to open bilateral ties with Iran, defending the move Friday on the grounds that it has no enemies.

Solomons’ foreign ministry, in a statement on Friday, dismissed criticism by the opposition over the islands’ boosting ties with Iran, saying the Solomons would continue to explore “the possibility of formalizing diplomatic relations”.

The country’s Foreign Minister William Haomae is currently in Iran looking at specific arrangements.

“As a peace loving state, we have adopted a foreign policy of ‘friends to all, enemies to none’,” the ministry statement said.

“We are mindful that we conduct our international affairs in an interdependent world. We rely on each other, although there may be differences between certain countries. But those differences should not dictate who we interact with.”

The Solomon Islands is re-establishing itself after being wracked by years of ethnic violence, which ended in 2003 with the arrival of an Australian-led regional armed intervention force.