President Calls on Independent States to Boost Cooperation

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a meeting with the participants at the ECO Interior Ministers’ meeting here on Wednesday, stressed the need for the independent countries to reinvigorate their regional cooperation to get rid of hegemonic and unilateralist powers.

A report released by the Presidential Press Office said that also during the meeting, Ahmadinejad pointed to the significant role of the neighboring states’ multilateral cooperation, specially through regional bodies and pacts, in providing welfare, tranquility, stability and calm for the regional countries.

He also reiterated the necessity for the reinvigoration and enhanced activity of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in line with the interests of the regional nations.

The chief executive official further lashed out at the unilateral relations dominating the world, and expressed regret that the interests of many nations are trampled upon under such wrong relations and approaches.

He called on the independent countries to strengthen their regional multilateral cooperation to get rid of hegemonic and unilateralist powers.

Mentioning that lack of justice in approach and action has driven superpowers far away from caring about the interests of nations, Ahmadinejad continued, “Some western powers recognize themselves as the owners of the world and they intensify conflicts and wars by intervening in the legislation processes and policy-makings of the different countries, while world organizations and bodies serve the interests of these powers instead of providing service for the world nations.”

He underlined that occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan by the western countries and their intervention in Palestine, Lebanon and some African and Latino states has led to the intensification of conflicts and tensions in the aforesaid states.

He said that the western powers not only have failed to solve the existing problems, but also augmented the pain and sufferings of the people in any country they have stepped into.

Viewing presence of the occupying powers as the root cause of a major part of the regional problems, including human smuggling, drug trafficking and insecurity, the president expressed regret that the fruits of the people’s efforts in some regional countries are confiscated in favor of the world powers, and stressed that the aforementioned equation must be reversed.

“Given their giant resources, exalted cultures and historical bonds of friendship, countries of the region can provide for their needs from within the region through developing regional cooperation,” he continued.

Also during the meeting, Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi briefed the president about the two-day meeting of ECO’s council of ministers in Tehran and ECO’s Secretary-General as well as a number of participating ministers, in separate speeches, praised Iran’s efforts for the reinvigoration of cooperation and establishment of peace and stability in the region through holding such regional meetings and summits.