Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s three-day visit to Kuala Lumpur for discussions with Malaysian officials opens a new chapter of Iran’s policy on the establishment of an Islamic economic bloc in East Asia.

The bloc, which will be formed within the framework of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), can also be regarded as the first step in the movement toward Islamic unity and the establishment of an Islamic common market and eventually a political and economic union similar to the European Union.

Malaysia and Iran are both important members of the OIC and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) that have played active roles in efforts to unite the Islamic world.

Malaysia is one of the most important countries in East Asia. It has striven to achieve economic growth through focused management over the past 25 years, thus becoming a model for economic change in the Islamic world.

Moreover, the country’s performance as the chairman of the OIC and its efforts to resolve conflicts between Islamic states have given it a special place, to the extent that the increasing influence of Malaysia on the OIC’s macro decision-making process can not be neglected.

In addition, Malaysia’s clear stance on the issue of Iran’s right to have a peaceful nuclear program, which it enumerated at the International Atomic Energy Agency and NAM, indicates that it is not affected by the imperialist powers and has adopted an independent policy in the international arena.

On the other hand, due to its significant economic, political, and human resources, Iran is able to play a key role in the great task of thwarting neocolonialist countries’ efforts to dominate the Middle East and East Asia through the use of the tools of power.

Alongside their active participation in the United Nations, NAM, and the OIC, Iran and Malaysia should also devise a common strategy for bringing about a convergence of the regional and international views of Islamic and independent countries. The establishment of an Islamic common market and an Islamic common currency should be components of this strategy.

Realizing this objective and drafting a 20-year plan will not be difficult tasks if all Islamic countries cooperate and work to establish an Islamic high council comprised of Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.

This 20-year plan could determine the course of political, economic, cultural, tourism, and religious cooperation of the 57 members of the OIC and could be of great assistance in resolving the problems of the Islamic world.

The Iranian president’s trip to Malaysia is the first chapter of a great Islamic transformation, through which the desire of 1.5 billion Muslims for Islamic interaction will be fulfilled.

In addition to bringing the views of Iran and Malaysia closer together, the trip will also help Malaysia give the world a more positive view of the important region of East Asia.