President Hassan Rouhani said the talks with the major powers on Iran's nuclear program are making progress, emphasizing that reaching a final deal to resolve the long-running nuclear dispute would benefit the international community.
He made the remarks on Tuesday morning at Mehrabad International Airport before departing for Indonesia to take part in the summit of African and Asian heads of state that is held as part of the 60th commemoration ceremony of the 1955 Asian-African Conference, also known as Bandung Conference, which started in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Bandung on Sunday and runs until April 24.
"We are pursuing the negotiations with serious resolve, and we hope that the other side shows the same determination so that a deal can be finalized in the next two months," he said.
The deal will create "an atmosphere for cooperation among Iran and other countries in the region and Asia and will in fact benefit everyone," he stated.
Rouhani underlined the significance of closer relations with other nations, especially neighboring states and Asian countries, saying to this end, "we also need to attract (more foreign) investment and technology."
Touching on regional developments, the president said the region is currently faced with violence, terrorism and civil wars as a result of the actions of some "irresponsible states whose stance is consistent with neither Islamic nor international rules."
Noting that destruction of a country's infrastructures and killing of innocent citizens will yield no positive results, he called on the international community to denounce such moves, referring to the Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen.
"The Yemeni people have a rich history which is cited in the holy Quran," he said, adding that the nation is a civilized but poor one and does not deserve to be bombed.
Rouhani expressed hope that in his trip to Indonesia he would be able to hold talks with world leaders about efforts to help establish peace and stability in Yemen as well as in the whole region by combating terrorism.
***Bandung Conference
Bandung Conference 2015 celebrates the 60th anniversary of the South-South cooperation established in 1995 by participation of 29 states in Bandung which set the stage for the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), said the president.
Rouhani's visit to Jakarta is made at the invitation of his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo.
"Iran has regularly participated in the conference since its inception 60 years ago," said Rouhani, who is participating in the event also as the current president of NAM.
He is scheduled to address the conference on Wednesday, which is the first day of the summit. On the sidelines of the meeting, he will also hold separate meetings with some heads of states and Indonesian intellectuals, university lecturers as well as entrepreneurs and businessmen.
*** Major Challenges
At the ministerial meeting of the conference which was held in Jakarta on Monday, Deputy Foreign Minister for Asian and Pacific Affairs Ebrahim Rahimpour called for enhanced cooperation among countries and stressed the need to promote such attitudes as patience, pluralism, tolerance and respecting opinions of others.
Praising the Indonesian initiative to hold the conference, he referred to the challenges Asian and African countries face, including poverty, injustice, negative effects of economic crises, and developed nations' ignorance of developing countries' will when making global-level decisions.
The conference is expected to issue three statements, including a statement about the development of South-South cooperation, one on New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP), and another one which is dedicated to reiterating support for Palestine's independence.
In the summit, representatives from Asia and Africa will discuss ways to enhance cooperation on promoting peace and prosperity across the world.
