President Hassan Rouhani met the new Iranian ambassadors to Spain, Sierra Leone, Kuwait, Romania and Bangladesh on Tuesday, asking them to make extra effort to boost Iran's political, economic and cultural relations with the world.
He described diplomats as representatives of the Iranian nation, history and culture who have a duty to help connect the country with the global community.
He urged the ambassadors to give priority to promoting commercial ties, stressing that their efforts should be focused on attracting foreign investment and fostering collaborations between private enterprises.
"The private sector should be placed at the forefront of economic relations," he was quoted as saying by the president's official news portal.
Citing the United States' departure from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, he said the unilateral move has isolated the US on the global stage and "it is now backed by no country but a handful [of allies]".
"By developing our relations with foreign countries, we can turn US threats against Iranian people to opportunities for making progress," he said.
The president also invited the envoys to closely connect with Iranians living abroad, emphasizing that Iranian embassies should be a "place filled with peace and hope and [provide] a reassuring support for expatriates."
Hassan Qashqavi, Akbar Khosravinejad, Mohammad Irani, Mohammad Reza Nafar and Morteza Aboutalebi have been appointed as ambassadors to Spain, Sierra Leone, Kuwait, Bangladesh and Romania respectively.
They presented a report on Iran's current relations with the countries where they are to take office during the session.
>Credentials Ceremony
Earlier in the day, Rouhani met new foreign diplomats who presented their credentials to the president.
In the meeting with new Japanese Ambassador Mitsugu Saito, Rouhani called for expansion of joint investment projects by private sector companies and closer collaborations in various sectors, including trade, energy, petrochemical, machinery manufacture, health and medical services, environmental conservation and tourism.
Saito highlighted the old and friendly Iran-Japan ties, expressing his country's willingness to maintain ties.
"The Japanese government and enterprises will remain in Iran and continue their relations, despite US pressure and sanctions because the authorities and business people are assured of Iran's future," he said.
In a separate meeting, Jacques Louis Werner, the incoming Dutch envoy, voiced his country's support for efforts to preserve the nuclear deal.
"The Netherlands is determined to improve its banking relations with Iran so as not to allow the sanctions to affect mutual trade," he said.
Envoys of Senegal, South Africa, Qatar and Belgium also started their missions following the Tuesday ceremony.
