During a meeting with President of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bakir Izetbegovic in Sarajevo on Saturday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs Ali Asghar Khaji stated that NAM as the second biggest international organization after the United Nations can provide opportunities to reinforce multilateralism, establish sustainable world peace and expand south-south cooperation.
Khaji said Iran fully supports a united and multi-ethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina, adding that the two countries’ various potentials should be used to expand relations in all economic and cultural spheres.
The Iranian diplomat also extended President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s invitation to the Bosnian leader to take part in the forthcoming NAM summit in Tehran.
Izetbegovic, for his part, welcomed the expansion of Sarajevo-Tehran ties, noting that the Islamic Republic of Iran enjoys a special position among Bosnians.
He thanked President Ahmadinejad for his invitation, and said new international developments suggest that NAM can play a significant role for the resolution of the global challenges.
The 16th summit of the NAM member states will be held between August 26 and 31 in the Iranian capital.
Iran will assume the rotating presidency of the movement for three years during the Tehran summit.
NAM, an international organization with 120 member states and 17 observer countries, is considered as not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.
The organization was founded in the former Yugoslavia in 1961. The countries of the Non-Aligned Movement represent nearly two-thirds of the UN members and contain 55% of the world population.
NAM's purpose, as stated in the Havana Declaration of 1979, is to ensure “the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries”.
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A senior Iranian official says the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) could be a greater force to boost multilateral cooperation among world states and foster long-lasting global peace.
News ID 181956
