News in Brief
FM: Iran to promote cooperation within ACD
PRESS TV – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran will do its best to boost cooperation among the members of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) during its rotating presidency of the forum.
He made the remarks in a Monday meeting with Secretary General of the ACD Pornchai Danvivathana in Tehran.
The top diplomat said during its rotating presidency of the ACD, in addition to promoting cooperation within the body, Iran will do its utmost to pave the way for the realization of its goals.
Amir-Abdollahian said the Kuwait-based ACD secretariat plays a leading role in bolstering cooperation among its members, and expressed Iran’s readiness to help the secretariat and the ACD Cultural and Tourism Coordination Center, which is based in Tehran, in this regard.
Danvivathana, for his part, briefed Amir-Abdollahian on ACD’s foreign ministerial meeting, which is set to be held in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s annual meeting. Iran’s one-year presidency of the ACD will start following that meeting.
The first of its kind in Asia, the Asia Cooperation Dialogue is a continent-wide forum, which was inaugurated in Thailand in 2002.
Nine Iranian pilgrims
killed in Iraq
road crash
REUTERS – At least nine Iranian pilgrims died and dozens were injured when a bus carrying them collided with a truck in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya on Monday, two medical sources said.
The bus was crammed with pilgrims en route to the holy city of Karbala.
One of the medical sources said 31 people, including women and children, were injured and five of them were in a critical condition.
Every year, millions of Iranians travel to neighboring Iraq to participate in Arba’een march, which is the 40th day after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein, Shias’ third imam.