Iran urges enhanced ties among Asians

Iran: Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi has called on the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) to bolster cultural cooperation with the objective of influencing global culture. "The Asia Cooperation Dialogue should play a constructive and effective role in improving capabilities of member states and resolving international problems and challenges," said Rahimi in an inaugural speech to the first ACD Senior Officials Meeting on Cultural Cooperation.

He stressed the importance of increasing interaction among Asian countries and added, "As a non-political body, the ACD enjoys great potential to promote the position of Asian countries and their influence on international culture." The Iranian vice president noted that Asia is the "center of human culture and the cradle of ancient civilizations" but has had little impact on international relations.

The first two-day Senior Officials Meeting on Cultural Cooperation of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) officially opened in the Iranian capital city of Tehran on Monday.

The Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) was created in 2002 in an attempt to promote Asian cooperation at a continental level and to help integrate separate regional cooperation organizations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC). Tuesday, Presstv