TEHRAN, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The 19th Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) ministerial meeting was held in the Iranian capital Tehran on Monday.
The meeting was attended by 41 foreign delegations comprising Asian states' foreign ministers and representatives as well as secretaries-general of nine international organizations, said Iran's IRIB news agency.
In a message to the meeting, Iran's Interim President Mohammad Mokhber said that the holding of the meeting would be another step towards further solidarity among the Asian states.
He stressed that utilizing effective multilateral mechanisms and enhancing intra-group relations to drive Asia's development was of great importance, and had various strategic dimensions.
Mokhber said Iran had always paid attention to boosting ties with Asian states while seeking to maintain balanced relations with other countries of the world, noting that Asian countries held a special and outstanding place in Iran's foreign policy.
Following the meeting, a statement was released which outlined the ACD's future development objectives, identified challenges, and showed solidarity with the Palestinian population in Gaza.
Created in June 2002, the ACD is an intergovernmental organization consisting of 35 states, which seeks to promote Asian cooperation at a continental level and ensure coordination among different regional organizations, such as the Eurasian Economic Union and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. ■
