Islamic human rights standards to be highlighted

Muslim countries should cooperate in highlighting principles of Islamic human rights, Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani said here Wednesday. He made the remark in a meeting with Turkey’s Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin. “Westerners’ approach toward human rights is paradoxical; expansion of relations between Turkey and Iran can boost the power of Muslim Ummah,” added Amoli Larijani. He stressed the boost of Iran-Turkey’s judicial cooperation, adding that the West aims to impose its human rights values on Muslim nations. “The difference between the western approach toward popular uprisings in Middle East and North Africa as well as their indifference toward US crimes against Afghan and Iraqi nations are part of west's paradoxical approach,” the judiciary chief continued. Turkey’s justice minister for his part welcomed the expansion of relations between Ankara and Tehran including the development of judicial cooperation. Earlier in the day, the Iranian Justice Minister Morteza Bakhtiari lauded the age-old friendly ties and cooperation between Tehran and Ankara, and praised the stances taken by Turkey towards Iran, especially in recent years, in a meeting with his Turkish counterpart. “The different stances that have been taken by Turkey towards Iran, especially in the recent years are deserved to be praised,' Bakhtiari said at his meeting with his Turkish counterpart Sadullah Ergin on Wednesday. 'We are glad that cultural and political relations and economic interactions between the two countries have grown and reached an acceptable level,' he stated, adding that the two sides had over $15 billion of trade exchanges in 2011 and plan to increase the value of their trade ties to $30 billion by 2015. He further lauded Turkey's independent stance in supporting Iran's right of access to peaceful nuclear technology. Iran and Turkey have in recent years increased their cooperation in all the various fields of economy, security, trade, education, energy and culture. The two sides have exchanged several politico-economic delegations during the last few months. After the West intensified its sanctions on Iranian oil and economy, Turkey announced that it is not obliged to follow the West's decision on imposing a ban on Iranian oil supplies. In January, the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu ruled out the possibility of Ankara’s complying with the West's unilateral sanctions against Iran, and added that Turkey is currently trying to facilitate talks between Tehran and Western nations on Iran's nuclear program.