THIS week, Tehran hosted a ministerial meeting for Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) member states.
Foreign Ministers and senior officials from 35 countries, along with heads of regional and multilateral Asian organisations, took part in the gathering.
This significant multilateral event takes place while the Islamic Republic of Iran mourns the loss and martyrdom of two pioneers of multilateralism, the late President Ebrahim Raisi and late Foreign Minister Dr Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Iran has shown a serious and remarkable commitment, led by the martyred president and foreign minister, to compensate for the monopolised interaction and reliance on the West by focusing on the East, fostering the Asian identity and ultimately ensuring that good-neighbourliness policies serve collective development and security.
Undoubtedly, promoting regional integrity through active membership to regional and global organisations will save the international community from the harms of the dominance systems and direct it towards multilateralism as a means of realising justice in the international arena.
The current Iranian administration's particular focus on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS following Iran's official membership to these two international mechanisms will be studied from the same perspective.
In pursuing multilateralism, we need to take identity and aspirations into account as well, and the ACD addresses this essential need. Emerging powers' membership to this forum will further energise it to form its identity and enhance optimism to its promising future.
Asia and the world are still deeply saddened and shocked by the ongoing atrocities and genocide perpetrated by the Zionist regime in the Gaza Strip. The humanitarian catastrophe has continued for more than eight months in Palestine.
The international community, hindered by the dominance system, has failed to stop the attacks against the innocent people, particularly women and children.
Meanwhile, each of the ACD member states have made efforts to end these crimes, establish a ceasefire and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. It is essential to make collective efforts in this regard as a step in line with the ACD's objectives as emphasised during the Tehran meeting.
It is also noteworthy that in mid-June, during the D-8 Foreign Ministers' meeting in Turkiye, we witnessed the efforts of the member states to adopt collective stances in order to end the genocide in Gaza.
Established in 2002, the ACD encompasses a vast expanse of the Asian continent and its 35-member states represent 56 per cent of the world's population and 35 per cent of global GDP. Through dialogue and partnerships, these nations aim to develop their relations in various fields such as transportation and communication, sciences, technology and innovation, education and human resource development, food, energy, and water security, culture and tourism and inclusive and sustainable development.
Iran joined the ACD in 2004 and is considered one of its active members. Since October last year, the late Iranian foreign minister was the ACD Chair.
In addition to Iran, the ACD's member states include Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Nepal, Russia, Turkiye, Japan, China, Mongolia, South Korea, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Palestine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Forming an "Asian Community" is one of the ACD's stated aspirations. Given the rich cultural heritage and lasting values of Asia, as well as the continent's strong potential and economic and technological foundations, it will undoubtedly bring about significant benefits.
This will also encourage the Asian states to form Asian coalitions and ultimately an "Asian Union" at an appropriate time and the ACD can play a crucial role in this regard. Moreover, the impact of people-to-people interactions and the role of the respective private sectors in achieving these valuable goals should not be overlooked.
Intra-Asian tourism, cultural exchanges and the active participation of the private sectors of the ACD member states in intra-Asian economic and trade interactions are effective drivers in this process.
As the ACD Chair, Iran took positive steps in both areas mentioned above.
Appointing Yazd as the "ACD Tourism Capital for 2024" has provided a suitable ground for hosting various Asian cultural and tourism activities. Moreover, this year, Yazd will host a meeting of the ACD tourism ministers, where they will make decisions regarding their upcoming cooperation.
In May, Isfahan hosted the Chambers of Commerce from the ACD member states, resulting in the conclusion of some agreements on future joint measures and the "Isfahan Pact".
The Islamic Republic of Iran's foreign policy includes multilateralism, good neighbourliness and collective development through regionalism. Thus, countering unilateralism and hegemony and supporting regional and extra-regional multilateral mechanisms are among Iran's top diplomatic priorities.
As the ACD Chair we have fostered dialogue and cooperation structures. With the support of the member states and the ACD secretariat, we have taken some effective and positive steps. The ACD Ministerial meeting will review and decide on some of these measures and initiatives.
* The writer is Iran's Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs
ends