REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Iran has invited Indonesia to attend the Non-Aligned Movement Summit it is hosting at the end of August. "Indonesia, as one of the movement`s founders, certainly has an important role to play and therefore Iran has invited us," vice presidential spokesman Yopie Hidayat said following a meeting between Vice President Boediono and Iran`s Vice President, Ebrahim Azizi, on Friday.
Officials said Iranian President Mahumud Ahmadinejad sent Vice President Azizi to Indonesia to deliver the invitation. Azizi, as Yopie quoted, said that Indonesia plays an important role in the movement and therefore its attendance at the meeting was much expected. Yopie added that Vice President Boediono told his Iranian counterpart that he would later submit the invitation to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is currently in Brazil to attend Rio-20 Summit.
The Non-Aligned Movement was founded during its first summit in Beograd, Yugoslavia on September 1-6, 1961 and attended by 25 countries, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Yemen, Myanmar, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Congo, Cuba, Cyprus, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guninea, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Yugoslavia.
Relation with Indonesia
Meanwhile, Iran also seeks better economic and trade relations with Indonesia. "Iran will appoint a special envoy to handle its economic and trade relations with Indonesia," Yopie said.
He added that Boediono and Azizi discussed the economic condition of their respective countries, as well as ways to improve bilateral relations. "Indonesia and Iran share similar cultural backgrounds, which will be a strong base for future relations between the two countries," Yopie explained.
