Iran, China determined to develop strategic ties: FM Spox

Tehran, July 8, IRNA – Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi stressed the political will existing in Iran and China to develop and deepen strategic bilateral relations and said that the document of mutual cooperation will be sent to the Parliament for legal considerations once it is finalized. According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Mousavi made the remarks in reaction to the huge volume of fabricated news spread across the cyberspace about the 25-year roadmap sketched by Iran and China to develop bilateral cooperation. He said that based on what was stressed in the sixth segment of an agreement signed by the two countries during the 2016 visit of China's President Xi Jinping to Tehran, Iran and China have clearly stated their political will to develop and deepen bilateral relations. They have also decided to work out a 25-year comprehensive road map to be used as the foundation for development of all-out development political and economic ties between China and Iran in the coming years, he added. Mousavi further noted that the initial draft of the document which was prepared through contribution of expert organizations from both countries is now in discussion phase. Once the discussions are finalized, he said, the document will be sent to the Parliament to go through the needed legal procedures. The spokesman further referred to the hostile and nervous reaction of the spokesperson of the US Department of State to the issue and said the strategic relations between Iran and China which entails key interests for both nations has its own enemies who will employ all in their might to see the failure of the document and ensure it will not succeed. He also termed as ridiculous the claims raised about giving away Iran's Persian Gulf islands to rent, bestowing exclusive oil sell rights in low prices, deployment of armed forces and the likewise which he believed deserve no comments at all. The spokesman further stressed that safeguarding Iran's national interests is the only principle the Iranian Foreign Ministry follows in compiling this strategic document. The discussions on the document were conducted with uttermost precision and in full consideration and the Iranian people will soon witness its outcome soon, he added.