Iran could play key transit role as junction of three continents: VP
Aref set to meet UN chief in Turkmenistan
Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref declared Iran possesses an "exceptional position in the transit sector," citing its role as "the central hub connecting the three major continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa."
On Monday, prior to his departure for Turkmenistan to participate in the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Awaza, Aref outlined the objectives of this trip, IRNA reported.
He stated the Iranian government's strategy is “the extensive and wide-ranging development of cooperation with neighboring and regional countries."
"32 developing countries in the world are landlocked, meaning they lack access to open waters, and eight of these countries are located in our region," Aref said.
The vice president said, "With the strategy we have in the government for extensive and wide-ranging development in all sectors, we enjoy good relations with these countries,” adding, “The goal is to review the cooperation we can have with all landlocked developing countries, particularly these eight (neighboring) countries. We have good interactions with these countries."
Referring to Masoud Pezeshkian's recent visit to Pakistan, Aref emphasized, "As we predicted, the president's visit to Pakistan was beneficial for developing regional relations and beneficial for the Islamic world."
He expressed hope that this trip will also lead to strengthened relations in all sectors, especially the transit sector.
As part of the programs during Pezeshkian's official visit to the neighboring country, 12 cooperation agreements were signed on Sunday, aimed at facilitating and paving the way for the development of mutual cooperation across various sectors. The main areas covered by the signed agreements include tourism, agriculture, judicial and legal cooperation, industry, science and technology, transportation and transit, cultural heritage, and commercial and economic cooperation.
The first vice president underscored that the country has declared its readiness "to connect the landlocked countries to open waters."
He announced his sideline programs include a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, along with planned talks with senior Turkmen officials. He will also hold meetings with several other heads of state on bilateral, multilateral, and international issues."