BOSNIA AND IRAN TO FORM JOINT POLITICAL COMMITTEE

TEHRAN, Iran (November 19,2008) - Bosnia and Iran have agreed to form a political,economic and scientific committee in a bid to improve cooperation between the two nations.

The agreement was reached between the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and the Bosnian Deputy Foreign Minister Ana Trisic Babic in a meeting in Tehran yesterday.

The two sides expressed interest to boost economic and political cooperation.

Mottaki stated that Iran and Bosnia’s friendly relations are not a threat to other nations.

The Bosnian diplomat called for forming a group of economists, politicians, and academics tasked with studying the two countries’ potential for closer relations.

Mottaki welcomed the proposal, saying Tehran is prepared to boost its trade ties with Bosnia and also host negotiations on ways to further develop economic relations.

Babic said she traveled to Tehran to discuss closer comprehensive cooperation with the Islamic Republic especially in economic sector.

She expressed hope that regular meetings between Iran and Bosnia would help bolster bilateral relations in different spheres.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Mottaki criticized the European Union’s “undemocratic approach” towards other nations, saying, “Unity (among) European countries is normal but the fact that the main members of the European Union impose their ideas on others violates democracy and freedom.”
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