In a meeting with his Croatian counterpart Zoran Milanovic, held on the sidelines of the 78th meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi highlighted Iran’s willingness to expand political, economic and trade relations with Croatia.
Welcoming Croatia’s decision to adopt an independent policy, Raisi stated, "Despite the efforts of some Western countries that seek to impose their interests and values on other countries of the world, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been able to turn sanctions and pressures into opportunities and achieve significant progress in various fields, especially in the field of technology."
The era of imposing opinions and demands on the nations has been over, Raisi added, noting, "Why do America and Europe, who own nuclear arsenals, prevent other countries from benefiting from nuclear technology? The Islamic Republic of Iran has achieved remarkable achievements in the fields of agriculture, industry and medicine through the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and in this regard, last year we were able to treat one million patients with radiopharmaceuticals."
He also expressed Iran’s readiness to cooperate with all countries that pursue interaction with Tehran, adding, "Regarding Palestine, we believe that referring to the vote of the people living in Palestine and the Palestinians is the only solution to this crisis."
For his part, the Croatian president highlighted his country's interest in developing relations with Iran, stating that there are suitable capacities between Iran and Croatia to develop interaction in various fields.
Milanovic described the adoption of an independent foreign policy as the basis for reaching the ideal world, declared his opposition to any attempt to impose values and cultures on the other countries, and condemned the US’ withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).