China Attaches Great Importance to Ties with Iran: President Xi
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on Thursday, underlined the need for closer relations between Tehran and Beijing.
"The enhancement of bilateral ties and friendship between the two nations and governments (of Iranian and China) is of great importance to china," Xi said in the meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the Asian-African Conference (AAC) in Indonesia.
The Chinese president stressed that bilateral meetings between the two countries' officials have helped promote Tehran-Beijing relations.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Xi said China would push for a "fair and balanced" agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) in the talks over Tehran's peaceful nuclear program.
"China is willing to continue to maintain communication with all parties concerned, including Iran, to continue to play a constructive role in the negotiations and push for a fair, balanced, mutually beneficial and win-win comprehensive agreement as soon as possible," Xi said, according to a statement on the Chinese government website.
Iran and the six powers are in talks to hammer out a lasting accord that would end more than a decade of impasse over Tehran's peaceful nuclear energy program.
President Rouhani, for his part, pointed to the deep friendship between Iran and China and said the two Asian countries share numerous interests and pursue many common objectives in the region and the world.