Iran parliament speaker says new regional pacts can 'herald a new stage’

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has said that new regional treaties can herald a new stage in which Muslim neighbours rely on their own capacities rather than on foreigners, according to Tasnim News Agency. In his message Saturday to mark the Unity Week, Ghalibaf described new regional treaties and arrangements as a “new chapter” and stressed that unity among Muslims has “helped push back against hegemonic ambitions”, according to Tasnim News Agency. He said these treaties show that Muslim neighbours “can choose the path of cooperation and brotherhood”, rather than “pursuing exhausting rivalries”. Ghalibaf added that recent developments have demonstrated the benefits of Muslim unity, and expressed hope that the Muslim world “would move toward greater unity, independence, security and dignity, with Muslims determining their own future free from foreign interference”.