TEHRAN - President Ebrahim Raisi received the credentials of the new ambassadors of Latvia, Estonia, Montenegro, Nepal, Armenia and Burundi in separate meetings on Monday.

Receiving the credentials of Latvia's ambassador to Tehran, Raisi stated that Iran’s geographical location has provided an opportunity to enhance commerce between Asia and Europe.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the president said, “The presence of the United States and NATO in Afghanistan did not ensure the security of Afghanistan or the region, and it had no other achievement other than destruction and killings.” 

Raisi went on to say that “Iran is opposed to any move that would lead the world toward unilateralism and war.” 

For his part, Latvia's new ambassador Pteris Vaivars pointed to the history of diplomatic relations with Iran and said, “We are interested in expanding relations with Iran based on mutual understanding and friendship to ensure the interests of the two countries.”
 
Iran and Estonia enjoy various capacities to strengthen ties

Raisi also referred to the historical background of friendly relations between Iran and Estonia, saying, “Iran and Estonia have various capacities in political, economic, and trade fields” especially through the North-South corridor.

“Strengthening relations between Iran and Estonia will be a platform for promoting cooperation and international interactions between the two countries,” the president added while receiving credentials of the new non-resident ambassador of Estonia. 

For his part, the ambassador of the Republic of Estonia referred to the two countries' 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, saying, “Estonia is interested in expanding relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran in various fields.” 

Iran’s ties with Balkan states have been on the rise

While receiving the credentials of Montenegro's new ambassador, Raisi said Iran has always had good and growing relations with Balkan countries, including Montenegro.

“The two countries have good potential in various fields for the development of interactions and improving the level of relations.”

Referring to Iran’s long history of cordial ties with Montenegro, Raisi said, “The two countries have good capacities to improve the level of bilateral relations.” 

Elsewhere in his remarks, the president said, “War is by no means a desired event,” adding that Iran has been encouraging peace, stability, and opposing war as a fundamental policy.

The Montenegrin ambassador, for his part, said, “I will try to strengthen the mechanisms for the development of bilateral relations so that the two countries can develop interactions and relations.”
 
Iran-Nepal affinities provide suitable basis for interaction 

In receiving the credentials of Nepal's new ambassador, Raisi praised the cultural and civilizational affinities between Asian countries, including Iran and Nepal.

“The two countries can enrich their relations and interactions by relying on their rich cultural and civilizational background in various political, economic and especially cultural fields,” Raisi remarked.

“Iran and Nepal have always had good and friendly relations," he said, adding, “It is essential that we make more efforts to protect our culture and civilization, including in the field of human rights.”

At the meeting, the ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal said, “The two countries enjoy cultural proximity, in a way that there are hundreds of Persian words in the Nepali language, and we must use these appropriate cultural contexts to develop relations in various fields.” 

Iran, Armenia have long enjoyed cordial ties based on mutual respect

President Raisi also praised the traditionally maintained cordial ties between Iran and Armenia. 

“There are various capacities for development of friendly, long-lasting relations between Tehran and Yerevan,” the president said while receiving the credentials of the Armenian ambassador. 

During the meeting, Raisi also insisted on the Islamic Republic's unwavering position in rejecting any form of invasion, saying Iran has always backed national sovereignty and respect for countries' territorial integrity.

Armenia's new ambassador, for his part, stated, “Armenia is ready to raise the relations between the two countries to strategic level.”

Iran seeking balanced ties with all countries

At the meeting with Gerard Bique Baku, ambassador of the Republic of Burundi, Raisi voiced his optimism for the growth of bilateral relations and said Iran is “trying to realize the existing capacities in line with meeting mutual benefits.”

The president went on to say that “we pursue relations with different countries to ensure mutual interests and this is one of the main cornerstones of the diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

For his part, Burundi Ambassador Bique Baku said, “The Republic of Burundi is interested in raising its relations with Iran to the highest possible level and making a redoubled effort to make up for the delays caused by the Corona epidemic in the past two years.”