TEHRAN, October 19 (MNA) – Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf condemned the US’ continued economic terrorism against the Iranian nation, calling on Muslim leaders not to follow such sanctions.“The US regime has imposed cruel and illegal sanctions against the Iranian nation, and we expect friendly and Islamic countries not to comply with these sanctions,” Ghalibaf said on Monday in a phone talk with his Malaysian counterpart, Azhar bin Azizan Harun.

He also pointed to the need to strengthen unity among Islamic countries and said, "Iran and Malaysia, as two important countries in the Islamic world, should have more cooperation to strengthen unity among Muslim countries and avoid division." Referring to the opening of the new parliaments of the two countries this year, Ghalibaf said, "We hope that both parliaments will try to facilitate and accelerate comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, especially in economic cooperation." He termed the development of cooperation between the two countries important and said, "We hope to see the further development of relations between the two countries by forming a joint commission between Iran and Malaysia as soon as possible." The Iranian speaker also called for the facilitation of consular affairs for Iranian citizens in Malaysia.

The Malaysian speaker, for his part, expressed his country’s interest in “strengthening relations between the two Muslim countries and developing relations between the two parliaments." He added, "In the Malaysian parliament, we are following the activities of the friendship groups of the two countries with interest, and we believe that these groups can further strengthen the parliamentary relations between the two countries." Referring to the need to implement the existing agreements between the two countries, Harun said, "The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the international section of the Parliament will make every effort to implement all Iran-Malaysia agreements." He said every effort should be made for the unity of Islamic countries and said, "Iran and Malaysia are always trying to strengthen the unity of the Islamic Ummah, especially as the empowerment of unity at the level of Islamic countries is necessary to face challenges." "Malaysia still has its position against the sanctions and we do not recognize illegal sanctions that are not in line with UN resolutions," Harun concluded.

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