Sri Lankan and Iranian presidents embrace at Rio+20 sidelines. Photograph DailyMirror.lk |
Meeting at the Rio+20 UN conference on sustainable development on Friday, President Rajapaksa and Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared the need for a "new order" in the world.
“Cooperation among independent states is essential for their progress forward; the justice-seeking nations should cooperate to design a new global order; those who are behind today problems do not deserve designing the new order.”
“Independent states are under great pressures from hegemonic powers but they should understand the fact that the pressures including the sanctions and resolutions will not affect nations’ desire to resist; the biggest violators of human rights use the issue as an excuse to confront sovereign nations.”
“Arrogant powers use also environmental issues as an excuse to pressure developing nations but if they were real defenders of environment; they would change their polluting technologies.”
Iranian news agency reported that Rajapaksa welcomed bilateral relations with Iran, and urged NAM states to be 'stronger to confront the pressures posed by arrogant powers.'