TEHRAN – Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko has called Iran an “important” and “influential” power.

Talking in a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Ali Larijani in Tehran on Saturday, Leko said Iran and Croatia have had “good” and “constructive” relations based on respect and mutual understanding.
He expressed hope that the ties between the two countries would be expanded.

He also said that Croatia attaches great importance to Iran’s position on international issues.

Leko expressed condolences to Iran over the deadly Mina incident in Mecca in which more than 400 Iranian pilgrims were killed.

For his part, the Iranian Majlis speaker said that the two countries will expand relations in various spheres.

Larijani also said that he has written a letter to the heads of the Islamic Inter-Parliamentary Union calling for an investigation into the Mina incident.

On September 24, a fatal stampede occurred in Mina during Hajj rituals when two large crowds of pilgrims collided. More than 4000 pilgrims were killed in the incident.

So far, 465 Iranian pilgrims have been confirmed dead in the stampede.

-----Resolution of refugee crisis dependent on uprooting terrorism ------

During his meeting with the top Croatian MP, Larijani also said the resolution of the refugee influx into Europe is dependent on finding solutions to the crises in the region which have been created by terrorist groups.

According to some estimates about a half million refugees mainly from Syria, Iraq, and some countries in northern Africa have poured into Europe, seeking asylum from fear of terrorist activities in their countries.

NA/PA