Iran welcomes the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by China and stands ready to work with China to safeguard world peace and facilitate global development, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Wednesday.

Raisi made the remarks during a speech at Peking University, where he received the title of honorary professor.

Opening up the ancient Silk Road, the peoples of China and Iran have created splendid history, strengthened interconnectivity and jointly sought the common happiness of mankind, Raisi said in his speech.

Multilateralism is the key element to the new international order and the guarantee for realizing justice, Raisi said.

To safeguard world peace and facilitate global development, Raisi said China proposed building the BRI and a community with a shared future for mankind, which shows that China attaches great importance to the future common development of mankind.

He also said China believes that the shared happiness and progress of human beings rely on the solidarity and cooperation of mankind.

Iran will continue to pursue the policy of strengthening mutual trust between Iran and China, Raisi said, calling for jointly promoting the comprehensive strategic cooperation plan without being affected by regional and global situations.

Iran strongly believes that the coordinated development of the two countries will surely pave the way for the international community to move toward peace, stability and development, he said.