Azernews.Az

Tuesday March 19 2024

Iran eyes expansion of ties with African states

28 July 2016 16:00 (UTC+04:00)
Iran eyes expansion of ties with African states

By Nigar Abbasova

Iran is currently engaged in strengthening of relations with the African states.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that his trip to West Africa will introduce a new chapter in relations of the Islamic Republic with the African region. Zarif made the remark during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Guinea Mamady Youla.

Hailing the ties between Tehran and Conakry, he underlined that the two countries enjoy close ties and the ongoing visit will contribute to the expansion of cooperation between the two countries, particularly in economic and commercial spheres.

Youla, in turn referred to the potential of his country for cooperation with the Islamic Republic, adding that he supports presence of Iranian companies in Conakry.

Saying that a large economic delegation accompanies him in the African tour, the foreign minister called for expansion of cooperation between the two countries.

Four-nation tour to West Africa is expected to improve bilateral diplomatic and trade relations between the countries. The country is willing to bolster its presence in the continent by means of strengthening political, trade and investment ties, following the removal of sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Iran already has a significant presence in agricultural and economic projects in some African countries and has been a major contributor to humanitarian missions across the continent over the past years.

Earlier, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab-African Affairs talking to IRNA said that Iran has set a new target for reaching a higher level in boosting trade relations with Africa over the next five years.

Zarif has arrived in Guinea after visiting Nigeria and Ghana as part of his West Africa tour. He is accompanied by political and economic delegation on his six-day visit to Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea and Mali.

The Iranian foreign minister has already paid two official visits to Africa. He visited Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, and Tanzania in February 2015. He also paid a visit to the North African countries of Tunisia and Algeria in August 2015.

--

Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

Loading...
Latest See more