Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has announced his country’s firm support for maritime and shipping security in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, saying that the Zionist regime has seriously endangered the security of the region.

Amirabdollahian and his Sri Lankan counterpart Ali Sabry held a joint press conference on Tuesday in Colombo, during which the Iranian top diplomat said that the Islamic Republic of Iran appreciates Sri Lanka for joining the UN resolution to stop the genocide and war crimes in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

He added that Iran supports the South African government's initiative to internationalize grievances against Israeli war criminals.

The Iranian diplomat emphasized that the consensus reached in the African Union to support Palestine serves their interest and that they agree that this pattern should be replicated in regional and international forums to support Palestine and put an end to the war crimes committed by the Israeli regime.

He further noted that they had detailed talks and fruitful agreements with his Sri Lankan counterpart and his accompanying ministers.

Both sides have agreed to hold the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation soon, he added.

He also said that he held comprehensive and useful meetings with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister and the President, noting that the Sri Lankan President sincerely welcomed the agreements reached between the foreign ministers of the two countries and emphasized inviting the Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi to visit Sri Lanka.

Soon, within the framework of strong relations between the two countries, they will see the opening of a 100 MW power plant, Amirabdollahian reiterated.

He expressed pleasure that the two countries have strong cooperation in international organizations and support each other's positions.

Amirabdollahian introduced Sri Lanka as a popular tourist destination for Iranians, highlighting that more than 120,000 Iranians visited the country for tourism in the previous year.