NAM states must reinforce unity for common interests: President Rouhani

President Hassan Rouhani has stressed the importance of fostering unity among the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) member states to serve their common interests.

“The Non-Aligned Movement can play a great role in today's world and its members must promote their collective interests through unity and cooperation,” President Rouhani said in a meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro in Margarita Island, Venezuela, late Friday, Press TV reported.

The president, who arrived in Venezuela late on Friday to attend the 17th NAM summit and to hand over the movement’s rotating presidency to Venezuela, also expressed Tehran’s readiness to share its experience during the chairmanship of the group with Caracas.

Pointing to slumping global oil prices over a long period of time and its negative impacts on the international economy, President Rouhani said, “The stability of the market, fair prices and just [output] quotas for oil producers will guarantee the interests of energy producers and consumers.”

President Rouhani further said Iran is keen to cooperate with Venezuela in various economic and investment fields, adding that the two countries’ joint economic committee would play a positive role in strengthening relations.

The Venezuelan president, for his part, said Caracas is determined to boost cooperation with Tehran in all sectors and make joint ventures in industrial, infrastructural and energy spheres.

Maduro said plunging oil prices have adversely affected oil-producing countries and called for efforts to restore stability to the market through unity.

SS