TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that terrorism is not restricted to one region and is spreading like a “dangerous disease”.

“Today, it has been proven that terrorism benefits no country and cannot be restricted to one region, because it spreads like a dangerous disease,” Rouhani said during a meeting with Luxembourgish Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn in Tehran on Wednesday.

Rouhani said that terrorism is not just a security issue, noting that it has cultural, political and social roots.

Iran has said certain countries are using terrorism as a tool to achieve their political objectives and accused the West of using a double-standard approach in the war on terrorism.

Rouhani said using terrorist groups as a “bridge” or “restricting” them to a certain geographical region are two important problems which have made the campaign against terrorist ineffective.

He said a serious will is required to fight terrorism.

The president added that Iran, as a victim of terrorism, has made considerable efforts in countering terrorism.

Iran also is also ready to cooperate with the European Union in campaign against terrorism, the president pointed out.

For his part, Asselborn said all countries are duty bound to fight terrorism.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani said that the two countries should expand cooperation in various areas. He added that the nuclear agreement between Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) has opened new opportunities for expansion of ties between Iran and other countries.

The nuclear agreement, struck on July 14, is set to go into effect in January 2016.

-------‘Iran plays key role in settling international crises’

In a separate meeting with Rouhani on Wednesday, Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan A. Idrisov said Iran plays key role in settling international crises.

Idrisov also said Kazakhstan seeks to expand ties with Iran.


NA/PA