Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said the West's policy of imposing sanctions against the Islamic Republic was "a strategic mistake," as sanctions failed to reverse Iran's pursuit of its legitimate right to make use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Larijani made the remarks on Tuesday in a meeting with visiting Serbian Minister of Trade, Telecommunications and Tourism Rasim Ljajic, who is also the Balkans country's deputy prime minister, IRNA reported. Pointing to the good relations between the two countries, Larijani called for exploiting the capabilities of the two sides to help expand friendly ties, especially in the area of parliamentary cooperation.
"The Islamic Republic has a positive approach toward enhancing relations with the Balkans, including the Republic of Serbia," the speaker said, adding that Iran's parliament is ready to support the growing cooperation with Belgrade in various fields. He also urged increased exchange of political, economic and parliamentary delegations.
Elsewhere, the speaker appealed for an international campaign against terrorism and hoped that the European Union will play a significant role in this regard.
The Serbian minister, for his part, expressed pleasure with his trip to Iran and said his country is interested in improving ties with Iran as an important country both in the Middle East and the world. Hailing Iran's active role in helping promote peace and stability in the region, Ljajic said the growth of terrorism is a major threat to all countries and the phenomenon needs to be dealt with through collective efforts.
He also criticized double standards adopted by the US and some other western powers in their policies on other countries and said the Serbian government disapproves of such approaches just as the Islamic Republic does.
In addition, Ljajic hoped Iran and the six world powers known as the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) would reach a final deal to pave the way for expansion of bilateral relations in all fields.
