TEHRAN – President Ebrahim Raisi said on Sunday that that focus of his administration is to bring back “balance” to foreign policy.

Insisting on the importance of relations with neighbors, friends, and like-minded countries, Raisi said, “Foreign policy should be at the service of increasing national power and in line with this goal adopting highly dynamic and intelligence diplomacy is necessary.”

Raisi made the remarks in a meeting with Iran’s new ambassadors to 11 countries of Finland, Bulgaria, Kuwait, Armenia, Turkey, Mauritania, Kyrgyzstan, Bolivia, Australia, the Philippines and Sweden.

The president said Iran is gifted with diverse and even complementary capacities with many countries around the world, including those countries that the new ambassadors have been given the mission to serve there.

Pointing to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution’s recent meeting with the Iranian ambassadors and representatives in foreign countries in which he elaborated on the importance of dignity, wisdom and expediency in foreign policy, Raisi suggested it is expected that “the ambassadors of our country to fully observe the statements of the Leader.”

The president told the diplomats to use all their efforts to tap all the capacities for sustainable economic and commercial ties.

He also called on the new diplomats to make best use of the capacities of the organizations and regional blocs in which Iran is a member.

Iran is a member of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and is becoming a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

In January Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) also signed an agreement for a free trade zone.

The EAEU includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

The free trade zone agreement that covers the vast Eurasian region spreading from the borders of Eastern Europe to western China is possible by the end of the year, Russia’s TASS news agency reported on 19 June.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk told the TASS news agency that talks between the EAEU and Iran are in their final stages.

“We are moving forward,” Overchuk said. “We very much hope that such an agreement can be signed by the end of the year.”