The ambassadors and heads of political missions of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states held a meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Baqeri in Tehran on November 21.
In the meeting with the ambassadors of Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam as well as the chargé d'affaires of the Philippines and Thailand, Baqeri pointed to the potential for cooperation among Asian countries. He said ASEAN has a proper capacity to promote economic cooperation
Baqeri also noted that economic cooperation institutionalizes regional stability and peace and eliminates any excuses for foreign meddling in regional affairs.
The Iranian diplomat also pointed to the political and self-centered approach adopted by Western governments toward international issues, saying the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking and protecting human rights are not valuable from the viewpoint of Western governments, but are part of their foreign policy toolbox.
For this reason, he added, the West would support terrorism and violate human rights whenever it suits its interests, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.
For their part, the ASEAN members’ ambassadors and diplomats underlined the need for strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation. They said promoting cooperation between ASEAN and Iran will stabilize the long-term interests of all sides.