Iran, Indonesia Can Promote Moderate Islam: President Rouhani
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Indonesian president’s special envoy in a meeting in Tehran emphasized the necessity for cooperation between the two Muslim nations in a bid to portray the image of moderate Islam in the face of extremist moves.
“In the contemporary turbulent world, Tehran and Jakarta can introduce the genuine and moderate Islam which is faced with the ominous phenomenon of terrorism and violence,” President Rouhani said in his Sunday meeting with Alwi Shihab.
“As two Muslim and Asian countries and members of international bodies such as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iran and Indonesia can play a major role in the advancement of regional and international issues by relying on their commonalities,” the Iranian president added.
He also noted that Tehran and Jakarta can open up new horizons in the bilateral ties since they both have Islamic culture and share views on the fight against arrogant powers.
The Indonesian envoy, for his part, voiced the Southeast Asian country’s keenness to join hands with Iran in promoting moderate Islam in the face of extremism.
Shihab also handed Indonesian president’s official invitation to Rouhani to attend an event commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference, slated for April in Indonesia.
The first Asian–African Conference (also known as the Bandung Conference) was held in 1955 in Bandung, Indonesia.
The twenty-five countries that participated at the Bandung Conference represented nearly one-quarter of the Earth's land surface and a total population of 1.5 billion people.