IRÃ

Economic Potential
On the sidelines of the G-15 session, Brazil’s Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said the conference can help member states realize their full potential.
In a meeting with Mottaki on Saturday, Amorim said the G-15 -- comprised of 18 developing countries from Asia, Africa and the Americas -- enjoys enormous potential, particularly in the areas of investment, trade and technology, Presstv reported.
With the primary aim of promoting economic cooperation and providing input for other international groups, G-15 was established in September 1989 at the ninth Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) conference in Belgrade, the capital of former Yugoslavia. Later, three other countries joined the group.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa are among leaders to attend the high-profile meeting.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Saturday vast political, cultural and economic commonalities among the Group 15 countries can help serve as basis for bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 32nd G-15 foreign ministerial meeting in Tehran, he said “Issues such as investments, commerce, energy, information technology, housing, education, healthcare and environment…can form the pillars of cooperation between the G-15 nations,” IRIB reported.
Member states should offer “an appropriate definition of their position and the type of their relations with other G-15 states and also with influential countries.”
One key issue in this regard is to lay the foundations for a new approach in the international arena, which is based on justice, respect for human values and respect for others’ needs, cultural values and securing everyone’s interests through understanding and cooperation among developing countries, he told the audience.
“Regional and multilateral mechanisms can certainly help in further advancing these goals.”
Creating groups of countries which share geographical, cultural and economic commonalities and strengthening such groups and organizations must be high on the agenda of developing nations, he noted.
“Holding this meeting on the eve of the summit of G-15 heads of states, adds to its sensitivity,” he said pointing to the two-day meeting of G-15 leaders slated for Monday in Tehran.