Pres. Rouhani:

Dialog sans foreign intervention to resolve Korean peninsula crisis

TEHRAN (defapress) – Iran’s President Rouhani in a meeting with senior North Korean official stressed the importance of dialogue between the two Korean states as the only viable means to bring about peace in the Korean Peninsula.

News ID: 65483

Date: 07 August 2017 - 13:48

Iranian President Hasan Rouhani held talks with the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, Kim Yong-nam, on Sunday in Tehran, during which he highlighted the need for dialog and political negotiations between the two Korean states for resolving the current disputes and disagreements between them.

"We believe that all nations across the world must be treated with respect without any kind of outside intervention in their internal affairs,” Rouhani added.

The North Korean official, for his part, voiced his country’s keen interest in developing ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran in various fields of economy, science and technology.

He also underscored promoting the role of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and boosting cooperation among Member States, aimed at bringing about peace and security across the region.

Also on Sunday, President Rouhani held talks with Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China, He Lifeng, during which he called for closer economic cooperation between the two countries.

While noting the current level of economic exchange between Tehran and Beijing at $30-billion, Rouhani voiced resolve to further boost cooperation with China in oil, gas and peaceful nuclear activities, as well as modern energies and communication technology.

"After the implementation of the JCPOA, Iran and China have taken good steps for developing relations and facilitating banking transactions,” Rouhani added, while appreciating China’s positive role in negotiations that led to the signing of the nuclear deal.

President Rouhani also called for China’s participation in various Iranian oil, gas and petrochemicals projects worth more than $200 billion.

The Chinese official, for his part, voiced his country’s opposition to any unilateral sanctions against Iran, calling for the successful implementation of the nuclear deal by all parties involved.