Malaysia will never recognize cruel US sanctions on Iran: FM

Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir has expressed his country’s opposition to US sanctions on Iran, saying Kuala Lumpur will never recognize the cruel sanctions.

During a meeting with Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi in Tehran on Tuesday, Zambry described the Islamic Republic as Malaysia’s “very important partner” in the region and the Muslim world.

He also hailed “positive” meetings with Iranian officials during his trip to Tehran on August 20-23.

Zambry further called for the development of bilateral relations, especially in the fields of agriculture, medicine, science, and technology.

Raeisi, for his part, said that devising a long-term strategic cooperation plan between Iran and Malaysia will “open up new horizons” in bilateral ties.

He also expressed hope that the cooperation plan will lead to enhanced relations and economic exchanges.

The top Malaysian diplomat paid his first official visit to Iran since assuming office last December, upon an invitation by his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

In a Monday meeting, Zambry and Amir-Abdollahian  about further improvement of Iran-Malaysia ties and some leading regional and international issues.

They further agreed to speed up the extradition of criminals and the exchange of prisoners.

The Iranian foreign Minister said that a session of the Iran-Malaysia joint economic commission would convene in Tehran in the near future and its sub-committees would hold regular sessions to discuss consular, trade, economic, and cultural issues and the fight against terrorism.

He noted that diplomatic efforts are underway to organize visits by President Raeisi to Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysian prime minister to Tehran.