(MNA) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made the remarks in his opening speech at the 13th summit of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States on Tuesday in Tehran.

The first panel of the 13th PUIC Conference went underway in Tehran on Saturday and the closing ceremony will be held on Wednesday. 16 parliamentary speakers and 14 deputy speakers, along with representatives from parliamentary friendship groups from 41 OIC countries are taking part in the event.

Addressing the summit on Tuesday, President Rouhani referred to the current challenges facing the Islamic World, such as the attempts by foreign powers to gain dominance over Muslims’ internal affairs, poverty and economic woes, underdevelopment and disputes among Muslim countries, and went on to stress that relying on foreign powers is not the way to overcome these challenges.

“These powers are only looking after their own interests by using the resources of other countries,” President Rouhani said. “They have never taken a step toward alleviating the sufferings of other nations, and will never do so.”

He went on to add, “these powers sell deadly weapons to various countries to cause an arms race and create division among them in a bid to continue their dominance and maintain their presence in our region.”

“To find solutions for these challenges, we must look inside not outside,” Rouhani stressed.

He went on to add, “but this does not mean seeking isolation. We welcome constructive interaction with the world, but as long as it is on equal grounds devoid of any attempts at exploitation, colonialism and intervention in our domestic affairs.”

(Photo: MNA)