President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was in China to attend the 12th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, returned home on Friday and was welcomed by First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi at the airport.
During his 4-day visit to China, the president was accompanied by Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, Minister of Economy and Finance Seyed Shamseddin Hosseini, Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mehdi Ghazanfari, Senior Presidential Advisor Mojtaba Samara Hashemi, Vice-President in Executive Affairs Hamid Baqaei, Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi, Governor of Central Bank Mahmoud Bahmani, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyed Mohammad Hosseini, Head of Aerospace Organization Hamid Fazeli and Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mihman-parast.
The 12th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit was held in Beijing on June 6-7 , 2012.
During his speech in the summit, the president underlined creation of a new international order and added that progress of the SCO and other Asian countries has frightened west.
He made several suggestions in different political, economic, cultural, scientific and financial fields and called for strengthening cooperation of SCO in different areas.
He also delivered a speech in Beijing University and called Iran as a peace-lover country adding that world does not need dictators anymore.
During his 4-day visit, Ahmadinejad met and exchanged views with counterparts from China, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan.
In the meeting with his Chinese counterpart President Hu Jintao, Ahmadinejad praised China progress and said that Iran wants a closer and more friendly relations with China and intends to expand its cooperation in different fields with China.
President Jintao, for his part, said that recent progress in Iran-China relations owes to efforts of President Ahmadinejad government and praised Iranian nation for helping to expand bilateral ties.
The SCO was established in year 2001 and Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan are members; Iran, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan are observers.
© IRNA 2012
