New York, IRNA - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal Augusto Santos Silva in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian said that Lisbon was after developing relations with Tehran.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Santos Silva stressed his country's support for multilateralism and international principles and its opposition against unilateralism and lawlessness.

He reiterated the fact that Portugal foreign policy should not be based on short-term interests or geopolitical issues.

Global collective threats and interests are also important in this regard, he noted.

Portugal is ready to develop relations with Iran, he stated.

Amirabdollahian, for his part, described the relations between the two countries as an important asset and considered Portugal important both in terms of its position in the European Union and its geopolitical position.

He expressed readiness for promoting cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism, narcotics, and organized crime.

He also referred to scientific and academic cooperation as important aspects in bilateral relations.

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