Iran’s President Raeisi: Foreign interference no solution to regional problems

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi has censured Western governments’ interference in the West Asia region, saying foreign meddling cannot be a solution to regional problems and only exacerbates them.

Raeisi made the remarks at Tehran's International Mehrabad Airport after attending the 6th Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday.

He underscored the "endogenous nature of security" in Asia and said the intervention of foreign countries is not the “solution to the region's problems.”

The Iranian president noted, “The interference of foreign powers in the Asia region adds to the problems and this was the main issue that we raised at the SICA summit.”

Pointing to the promotion of bilateral relations with Kazakhstan, Raeisi said the Kazakh president’s visit to Iran and his mutual visit to the country along with participation at regional summits and meetings will expand the level of relations and cooperation between the two countries.

“In meetings with Kazakh officials, we set an amount of about three billion dollars for economic and commercial development, which requires that the officials and economic activists try to reach this cap,” the Iranian president said.

Raeisi also described the cancellation of 14-day visas for Iranian and Kazakh economic activists as one of the achievements of his trip.

Independent Asia states must develop own pattern against challenges: Raeisi

Iran

In his address to the CICA summit, Iran's president said the “new Asia” in the modern world requires cooperation to develop an endogenous pattern for independent states in their efforts to overcome security, economic, media and cyber challenges.

Raeisi added that designing such a pattern “is particularly important in establishing a common financial system and using regional currencies, designing norms and regulations for combating terrorism as well as strengthening media cooperation.”

He also said CICA, as an effective mechanism, has played an unparalleled role in promoting peace, security and sustainable development among Asian nations since it is based on mutual trust, common interests, equality and respect for cultural diversities.

During his short stay in Astana, the Iranian chief executive had separate meetings with the Qatari emir and the president of Azerbaijan on the sidelines of the CICA summit.

CICA — an inter-governmental forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia — is comprised of different countries including Iran, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Korea, China, Russia, India, Palestine, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan Republic, and Thailand.

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