TEHRAN, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian foreign minister on Thursday expressed Iran's readiness to host a joint meeting between traders and businessmen from Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remark in a phone call with his UAE counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during which the two sides also discussed the latest bilateral and international developments, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website.
Amir-Abdollahian said expansion of relations with all neighbors, including the UAE, is a main focus of Iran.
On recent events in Iran, he severely criticized the "unconstructive" approach of the United States and some European countries toward the "riots" in Iranian cities and their "political and instrumental" abuse of international institutions and bodies.
The UAE foreign minister called for "stable and dynamic" relations between the two countries, expressing readiness for meetings between the two sides' traders and businessmen, as well as joint economic commission sessions.
Protests erupted in Iran after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in a Tehran hospital a few days after she collapsed at a police station in Tehran in September. The Iranian government blames the United States and some other countries for "inciting riots and supporting terrorists" in the country. ■