Sectarianism, extremism must be countered firmly: Iran FM

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has warned against the threat of sectarianism, violence and extremism to all regional countries and the world, saying they must be countered seriously.

“Double-standard views to the phenomenon of terrorism should be avoided,” Zarif said in a meeting with Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja in Tehran on Sunday.

He pointed to deep-rooted relations and positive political, economic, trade and cultural cooperation between Iran and Finland and said the two countries enjoy appropriate grounds for improving ties.

The Iranian minister called for strengthening cooperation with Finland in the fields of trade, economy and the environment.

Tuomioja, for his part, assessed his visit to Tehran as important regarding the ongoing developments in the region.

He called for further expansion of cooperation between Tehran and Helsinki in all fields.

The Finnish foreign minister arrived in Tehran on an official visit Saturday night. He held talks with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday.