In a Friday meeting with Iran’s Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar in China’s capital, Beijing, Meng Jianzhu called for further cooperation with Iran on counterterrorism and drug control issues.

Meng, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, hailed the development of relations as well as the productive cooperation between Tehran and Beijing.

On Thursday, Mohammad-Najjar and Chinese Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun inked a cooperation agreement in various security issues in an effort to enhance stability throughout the region.

Describing the accord as a turning point in mutual security cooperation, Mohammad-Najjar said under the deal, Tehran and Beijing would work together closely in fighting organized crime, transnational crimes, narcotics, gunrunning, human trafficking and money-laundering.

The Chinese minister, for his part, hailed the relations between Beijing and Tehran, describing Iran as a friendly country. He added that the very presence of Mohammad-Najjar in China is indicative of the significance of ties between the two countries.

Mohammad-Najjar arrived in Beijing for an official four-day visit at the head of a delegation on Thursday.