TEHRAN– New Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for reinforcing ties with Malaysia in commercial, economic, political, and technological areas by capitalizing on cultural and religious affinities.

Pezeshkian made the remarks in a meeting with Malaysian Parliament Speaker Johari bin Abdul who visited Tehran on Monday to participate in the official inauguration of Pezeshkian as president on Tuesday afternoon.

Calling relations between Iran and Malaysia “friendly” and “brotherly”, Pezeshkian said, “We intend to make relations more solid, stronger, and more effective in the new era through the will of the senior officials of the two countries” in line with common interests.
  
Elsewhere in his remarks, Pezeshkian called the Israeli crimes in Gaza a “concrete example of genocide” and praised Malaysia’s strong position in backing the Palestinian nation. The new Iranian president also called for strong unity among Muslim nations in halting the Israeli crimes against the people of Palestine.

For his part, Speaker Johari bin Abdul pointed to cultural and religious affinities between Malaysia and Iran and called for developing ties in line with mutual interests and the larger Islamic ummah.

Pointing to the status of Iran as the harbinger of stability and security in the West Asia region, Johari bin Abdul said given today’s sensitive situation in the region, Iran is a reliable source of support for the Islamic world and Malaysia hopes that the Islamic Republic’s role for establishing regional peace and security will greatly increase during the rule of the new president in Iran.

The parliament speaker said his country will take the presidency of the ASEAN nations in 2025 and that Malaysia hopes that Iran will increase its interaction with the bloc in line with the interests of all Asian countries.

He also said ASEAN countries are interested in developing ties with Iran.

Pezeshkian emphasizes strengthening ties with Muslim and regional countries

On Tuesday morning, President Pezeshkian met with Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan, who was in Tehran for the inauguration ceremony. Pezeshkian emphasized reducing political boundaries and increasing cooperation, noting the shared language and cultural ties between Iran and Tajikistan. 

"Meeting and interacting with you is different for us, and talking with a common language is very sweet and lovely. We should use this commonality to foster mutual benefits," he said.

Rahmon praised Iran's significant progress despite extensive sanctions and expressed a desire to expand cooperation in various fields based on their common heritage.

Iran to boost relations with Georgia

In a separate meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, President Pezeshkian described the development of relations between Iran and Georgia as a win-win situation for both nations and the entire region. 

He underscored that strengthening interactions with neighboring and regional countries is a priority for Iran’s foreign policy under his administration. "Iran, like Georgia, is determined to activate various capacities and mutual cooperation to foster the development of our nations," Pezeshkian stated.

Prime Minister Kobakhidze echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of cementing economic cooperation to further strengthen political relations between the two countries.

Pezeshkian holds talks with South African senior officials

Iran’s President also met with Ronald Ozzy Lamola, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, in a meeting on Monday, emphasizing strengthening bilateral relations.

Emphasizing the importance of strengthening the relations between Iran and South Africa in bilateral fields as well as international cooperation, including in the form of BRICS, the president said, “I hope that the economic relations and commercial cooperation between the two countries will prosper more and more concerning the various existing capacities.”

Pezeshkian also appreciated South Africa's constructive positions in defending the oppressed Palestinian nation and stated, “The Zionist apartheid regime has not stopped committing any crimes against the oppressed Palestinians of Gaza, while human rights claimants have not only remained silent in the face of these crimes but rather, by providing weapons and equipment and justifying the actions of the Zionist regime, they have fueled the continuation and even escalation of the crimes of this regime.”

In this meeting, Ronald Ozzy Lamola, referring to the 30-year history of diplomatic relations between Iran and South Africa, expressed hope that his country's extensive cooperation with Iran in various economic, commercial, and private sector cooperation between the two countries will develop even more.

Lamola also pointed out that South Africa has been subjected to all kinds of pressures and even threats due to supporting the rights of the oppressed Palestinian people, and said, “Despite all these pressures, South Africa believes in its basic principles towards Palestine and will continue to work together with countries such as the Islamic Republic of Iran in the path of realizing the rights of the Palestinian people and establishing a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and providing aid to the Palestinians in this region.”