ASHGABAT (Dispatches) -- President Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday assured Iran’s neighbors at a summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) here that U.S. sanctions will have no bearing on regional cooperation and interaction.
Raisi called on ECO member states to work together in a range of fields, from the creation of a regional electricity market, to water transfer projects and energy ventures.
ECO comprises all five Central Asian countries named Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, as well as Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey.
President Raisi said Iran is ready to help connect the fiber optic networks of member states and promote artificial intelligence projects and virtual education programs.
He also proposed that the organization create an internal financial mechanism to boost its efficacy. He said closer cooperation among the member states will help boost the efficiency of the Asian politico-economic organization.
“In addition to enjoying material features of power such as a population of half a billion, the ownership of one third of the world’s energy resources, a unique position… and young and powerful human resources, ECO has a privileged identity called Islam,” he said.
Over the years, he added, good progress has been made in ECO, but there is still a significant gap between the achievements and the real capacities and the existing capabilities of the organization.
He stressed that Iran, as an influential country, seeks to improve the level of cooperation within ECO and raise the status of the organization in international interactions.
“The Islamic Republic gives special priority to economic cooperation and partnership with Asian countries, especially its neighbors in West Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus,” he added.
“Many economic openings in ECO depend on the promotion of intra-regional trade. Iran is ready to play a greater role in trade liberalization in ECO and contribute to achieving this important goal by granting appropriate preferential tariffs.”
Earlier on Sunday, Raisi met with Iranian businessmen and private sector activists in Ashgabat.
He touched on talks with his Turkmen counterpart on development of bilateral relations in various sectors, including gas and transit, saying a gas agreement suspended the two neighbors over price differences will definitely be revived.

‘No Restrictions to Ties
With Pakistan’

The Iranian president met with his Pakistani counterpart Arif Alvi, saying Tehran is determined to develop and deepen all-out relations with Islamabad and has “no restrictions” in this regard.
In addition to being neighbors, the two countries enjoy a deep historical and cultural relationship, he noted.
“Due to the vast capacities available, we consider the relations between the two countries insufficient and are resolved to activate all the capacities in line with the interests of the two nations and the nations of the region,” Raisi said.
The Iranian president also stressed the need to Afghans, who are grappling with oppression, killing, looting and insecurity in the aftermath of 20 years of foreign occupation.
Iran, he said, backs the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan that represents all Afghan

people, ethnic groups and political factions.
“Daesh is made by the Americans, who are using it to create insecurity in Afghanistan and the region, so we must stand against it,” President Raisi said.
Alvi, for his part, said Pakistan considers Iran as an important Muslim neighbor and brother based on deep-rooted historical, linguistic, religious and cultural commonalities between the two countries.
He also expressed satisfaction at the recent operationalization of International Road Transport (TIR) shipments from Pakistan to Turkey and Azerbaijan, which would be beneficial for the entire ECO region.
The two president expressed satisfaction on the regular high-level interactions, which have reinforced different avenues of bilateral cooperation and agreed to stay engaged on all issues of mutual interest.
On Afghanistan, President Alvi noted the increased convergence of views among the neighboring countries.
He underlined the need for a closely coordinated approach to achieving the shared objectives of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan and the urgent provision of humanitarian and economic assistance to alleviate the sufferings of the Afghan people.

Talks With President Erdogan

President Raisi also said in his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that regional problems must only be solved by the regional countries, adding the presence of foreign parties does not help resolve them in any way.
“Terrorist groups have not only created insecurity in Afghanistan, but are also threatening security of the region. Therefore, we must not allow terrorist groups such as Daesh and the PKK to endanger security of regional states,” he said.
Raisi also stressed the need to promote stability in Iraq and respect the country’s territorial integrity, saying Iran supports a strong and popular Iraqi government.
The Iranian president touched on the importance of close cooperation among Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkey given their numerous cultural and religious commonalities, urging the three countries to prevent any disruption in their relations and to disappoint their common enemies by forging closer ties.
President Raisi said Tehran and Ankara have great capacities to increase trade and economic ties.
“Iran and Turkey can take economic and political relations closer to a strategic level by further boosting mutual trade and current exchanges.”
Erdogan, for his part, said Turkey attaches importance to expansion of bilateral and regional cooperation with Iran, adding that the two countries can boost relations, particularly in the economic sector.
The U.S., he said, has trained and is arming all terrorist groups, including Daesh and the PKK, and provides them with terrorist equipment in order to cause insecurity across the region.
The Turkish president emphasized that cooperation among all the regional states is a requisite for the establishment of peace in the region.
President Raisi also met his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon, saying “very good” relations between Iran and Tajikistan will continue in commercial, cultural and economic sectors.
“The current level of exchanges is not convincing and the extent of relations can be multiplied by taking good advantage of the existing capacities between the two countries,” he said.
The Tajik president pointed to worrisome developments in Afghanistan, saying that insecurity in the war-hit country is detrimental to the regional and neighboring states.