Tehran, Iran, Sept. 16
By Mehdi Sepahvand -- Trend:
Energy resources from Iran can be very reliable for Bangladesh, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said meeting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka.
Iran is ready to expand bilateral relations with Bangladesh and hurdles against the two countries' mutual trade should be raised, Zarif said, Mehr news agency reported Sept. 16.
He also pointed to the coexistence of Shia and Sunni communities in Bangladesh and said other countries should follow the country's model of peaceful coexistence. "But of course what has created rift in Iraq, Yemen, and Syria is not sectarianism, but political issues," Zarif stated.
Hasina, for her part, stressed improvement of relations between Iran and Bangladesh and said religious groups live side by side in peace. She also stressed laying grounds for trade visits between the two countries.
Bangladesh and Iran are member to the D-8 Organization. Trade turnover between the D-8 Organization of Economic Cooperation countries can reach $500 trillion by 2018, Ali Mohammad Mousavi, secretary general of the organization said back in April.
Edited by CN