NOURNEWS - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a telephone conversation on Tuesday with his Australian counterpart Marise Payne called on Australia to deal responsibly with active members of terrorist groups in the country.

The two sides discussed the development and deepening of bilateral relations and cooperation, as well as regional and international issues.

Congratulating the Australian minister of foreign affairs, government, and people on the National Day of Australia, Amirabdollahian described the half-century history of friendly relations between Iran and Australia as a common asset of the two countries and defined the presence of the educated Iranian community in Australia as a cultural bridge between the two nations.

Referring to the capacities of bilateral relations, Amirabdollahian announced his readiness to expand cooperation between the two countries in different fields, including trade, investment, and scientific exchanges between the public and private sectors of Iran and Australia and joint planning in this regard.

He described the development of the Iranian-Australian Spikogen vaccine as a successful example of constructive collaboration between Iran and Australia.

He also called the recent visit of the Australian special representative for Afghanistan to Tehran a success, adding that new areas of cooperation between the two countries regarding Afghanistan were defined during this visit.

Pointing to the situation of the displaced people in Afghanistan and the daily arrival of several thousand Afghan men, women, and children in the border provinces of Iran, the top Iranian diplomat reiterated the need for the international community's attention to the situation of refugees and the formation of an inclusive Afghan government with the participation of all ethnic groups.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, for her part, thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran for its cooperation and effective consultations during the visit of the Australian special representative for Afghanistan and expressed hope that the two countries would work closely together on Afghanistan to encourage the Taliban to live up to their commitments and to make sure that Afghanistan will not become a safe haven for terrorist groups and transnational crimes such as human trafficking and drug trafficking.

Welcoming the expansion of relations in bilateral areas, she said that Australia supports the talks in Vienna.

Regarding the JCPOA talks, the Iranian foreign minister emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes and emphasizes the achievement of a good agreement in these talks.

In this phone call, Amirabdollahian called for Australia to pay special attention to the rights of Iranians living in this country and especially the consular status of some of our citizens who are facing problems in Australia.

Referring to the role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the fight against terrorism and explaining the effective role of General Qassem Soleimani, the national and international hero of the fight against terrorism, in helping peace and security in the region, the Iranian foreign minister called on Australia to deal responsibly with active members of terrorist groups in the country.