Iran Hails Malaysia’s Membership in UNHRC

In a telephone conversation on Friday, Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah talked about the relations between Tehran and Kuala Lumpur, regional and international issues, and the developments in the Islamic world.

Congratulating Malaysia on its membership in the UN Human Rights Council, the Iranian foreign minister expressed hope that its presence in the council would help develop human rights and deal with double standards.

Outlining the foreign policy of the Iranian government, Amirabdollahian highlighted the priority of Asian countries in this policy and Iran’s readiness to expand relations with Malaysia in all areas, including tourism, agriculture, technology, energy, and science.

He also noted that Iran is prepared to finalize the Preferential Trade Agreement with Malaysia and expressed hope that the joint economic commission of the two countries would be formed in the near future.

The Iranian foreign minister described as important the agreements on extradition of criminals and judicial assistance between the two countries, stressing the significance of the exchange of prisoners.

Amirabdollahian also thanked the Malaysian government for supporting the oppressed people of Palestine.

For his part, the Malaysian foreign minister conveyed the warm greetings of his country's top officials to the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, pointing to the warm and friendly relations between the two countries.

Necessary capacities exist for the further development of relations in all fields, especially agriculture, tourism and technology as well as scientific and academic cooperation, Abdullah added.

The Malaysian foreign minister said he was aware of the difficult situation caused by the sanctions against Iran, stressed that Iran is entitled to have nuclear technology, and expressed hope that the outcome of next week's talks in Vienna would be successful.