Islamic countries' Women Affairs Ministers urge expanding ties with Iran

Participants in the specialized summit of the women affairs ministers from the Islamic countries in Mashad underlined the importance of Islamic solidarity and called for expanding ties with Iran.

“Close cooperation between the friendly countries, particularly in the current situation that some of them, including Syria, are involved in a war against terrorist and Takfiri groups, is of great importance,” Syria’s Social Affairs and Labor Minister Rima al-Qadiri said on the sidelines of the closing meeting the summit in Mashad on Thursday. 

Pointing that Iran and Syria have had a long standing history of strategic ties, Al-Qadiri underscored the role such conferences can play in boosting cooperation and described them as opportunities to exchange experience. 

She noted that Syria is among the first Arab countries in which women were holding high-ranking political roles, saying that Syria’s constitution, much attention had paid to women, and they were in charge of various executive and political roles. 

Meanwhile, Iraq’s Labor and Social Welfare Minister Mohammed al-Sudani said that the ties between his country and Iran were of strategic importance and the two enjoyed various religious, cultural and social commonalities. He also stressed that Tehran-Baghdad ties have expanded since the fall of the Iraqi’s dictator Saddam Hussein and the fight on terrorism in 2003. 

Another participants of the meeting was Minister of Women and Family Affairs of Mauritani Meymoonah Mohammed Taqi who pointed to the importance of women’s role for development of the Islamic countries.

She expressed hope that holding of the Mashad meeting as a holly city would contribute to promotion of cooperation among Islamic countries. 

The meeting titled “Social and Family Policy Making in Islamic Societies; Requirements and Necessities”, was attended by ministers of women’s affairs from Turkey, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Mauritania, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Syria, Pakistan and Niger.