Iran-China statement demand respecting Syria's sovereignty, integrity

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The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday said President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to Iran, as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi concluded a three-day trip to China.

According to a joint statement by both countries, Xi "gladly accepted the invitation" by Raisi. The trip would be Xi's first visit to Iran since 2016.

Pointing to Western sanctions imposed on the two nations, the joint statement blamed Washington for current tensions and called for the sanctions to be lifted, stressing that "ensuring Iran's economic dividends" was an "important part" of the 2015 nuclear deal.

It called for the agreement, which then-US President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018, to be "fully and effectively implemented."

The joint statement called on the international community to respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity and to commit to the comprehensive political process in Syria and combat terrorism in the country.

The Chinese-Iranian statement also called on the international community to create conditions for a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis and urged Afghanistan to end restrictions on women’s work and education.

"The two sides ... called on the Afghan rulers to form an inclusive government in which all ethnic groups and political groups actually participate, and cancel all discriminatory measures against women, ethnic minorities and other religions," the statement said, pointing out that the US and its NATO allies "should be responsible for the current situation in Afghanistan."

Xi on Tuesday hailed Beijing's solidarity with Iran and praised the two countries' mutual support "in the face of the current complex changes in the world, times, and history," according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The Chinese President underlined that his country "supports Iran in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national dignity... and in resisting unilateralism and hegemonism."

China visit impressive, fruitful, and successful: Raisi

Earlier, Raisi described his visit to China as impressive, fruitful, and successful. Arriving at Mehrabad International Airport, the Iranian President said 20 new bilateral cooperation agreements between Beijing and Tehran were signed during the visit.

The Iranian President called for further strengthening bilateral ties between Iran and China in commercial, economic, scientific, and technological fields, pointing out that good decisions were made regarding these fields in China.

Elsewhere, Raisi indicated that China plays a crucial role in Asia and is considered one of the emerging economies of the world, adding that bilateral cooperation at the Asian and international levels can be very effective.

It is noteworthy that Beijing and Tehran have strong economic ties and in 2021 signed a 25-year "strategic cooperation pact."

A couple of days ago, Seyed Mohammad Marandi, the advisor to the Iranian negotiating nuclear team, considered that Raisi's visit to China demonstrates that the 25-year strategic partnership agreement between both nations is the "strongest agreement" with Beijing in the region.

On Tuesday, the Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that the bilateral cooperation agreements covered several fields, namely economy, information technology, crisis management, tourism, fields, environment, international trade, intellectual property, agriculture, exports, the health and medical sector, and media activities, as well as sports and cultural heritage.

The news agency also cited the head of the Iran-China chamber of commerce in Tehran as saying that Iran will establish a commercial office in China to promote economic dealings with Chinese businessmen.

In recent years, China has consolidated its position as Iran's leading trading partner. China sent goods worth $12.7 billion to Iran during the first ten months of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2022 – January 20, 2023), while importing goods worth $12.6 billion.

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