Addressing the 5th Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) on Saturday in Dushanbe, President Hassan Rouhani said that achieving an acceptable level of peace, stability and development in today’s world requires development of regional cooperation and dialogue, adding, “the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is based on cooperation, synergy, and finding ways to achieve common interests, mutual benefit, and in one word, a win-win policy.”

“Within the same framework, the Islamic Republic of Iran considers cooperation with regional countries and using the mechanism of multilateral dialogues within the framework of CICA summits very effective, fruitful and essential,” he added.

The full text of President Hassan Rouhani’s speech is as follows:

At the outset, I would like to thank the government of Tajikistan and His Excellency Mr Rahmon, for hosting this important meeting, as well as the Chinese government for hosting the previous summit during its presidency. I am confident that the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), during the new presidency, will continue to promote dialogue and cooperation among member states in order to realize the goals of the conference, and strengthen its role in the peace and stability of the region and the world.

Dear Participants,

Undoubtedly, holding the CICA Summit in Dushanbe provides a perfect opportunity for consultation and discussion, given the current situation in the region and the wide range of topics, opportunities, challenges and threats. Now, Asia, which enjoys the legacy of great civilizations and huge achievements in the field of reasoning and interaction, is facing a huge challenge. From the easternmost parts of Asia to its westernmost regions, there has been cultural interaction and commerce for hundreds of years through the Silk Road on the earth and the sea, in a way that even today, this valuable experience can be the basis of better and more constructive relations between countries. In addition, the existence and continuity of philosophical, religious, and scientific ideas among the people who lived in past ages and the ancient world provides us with an enormous amount of capital to face upcoming challenges properly.

In other words, the capital that we inherited is enough to create a world free of discrimination, terrorism, monopolism, bullying and injustice. The present assembly can certainly inspire and influence not only Asia, but also the entire world, under the wisdom of its leaders and peoples by taking advantage of this ancient heritage.

Dear Participants,

By taking advantage of this precious heritage, the Islamic Republic of Iran is looking for the values ​​that Your Excellencies have seen during the last four decades in our foreign policy, including the fight against terrorism and extremism, which present a harsh and violent image of Islam, sheltering innocent people who have been grappling with war and its resulting disasters, fighting unilateralism by which a country tries to dominate others with material power and the use of force, explicit opposition to the production of any weapons of mass destruction from nuclear to chemical, and ultimately, constructive interaction with all countries that believe in these values.