In statements to KUNA here before leaving to Kuwait to participate in the tenth session of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), Salehi said the two countries are bound to each other by political, cultural and religious factors.
The Iranian official described the recent visit of Kuwait National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Kharafi to Tehran and his talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani as fruitful.
He stressed that the exchange of visits between the officials of the two countries are meant to reinforce and upgrade bilateral relations.
Salehi described the upcoming ACD meeting which will be held in Kuwait as a turning point in pan-Asian countries’ cooperation.
"This meeting is considered a turning point for the development of cooperation between the member states and the ACD activities," he said.
The ACD, inaugurated in June 2002, is a continent-wide forum, the first of its kind in Asia.
It aims to constitute the missing link in Asia by incorporating every Asian country and building an Asian Community without duplicating other organizations or creating a bloc against others.
A key principle is to consolidate Asian strengths and fortify Asia’s competitiveness by maximizing the diversity and rich resources evident in Asia. The core values of the ACD are positive thinking; informality; voluntarism; non-institutionalization; openness; respect for diversity; the comfort level of member countries; and the evolving nature of the ACD process.
Since its inception, the ACD has rapidly developed in two dimensions, namely, dialogue and projects.
Currently, the ACD comprises 30 countries including the six Gulf Cooperation Council member states.
