Iran foreign ministers says Tehran seeking to expand ties with African nations

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Iran’s current administration will pursue the expantion of relations with the countries of the African continent.

Iran’s top diplomat made the remarks during a meeting with Candith Mashego-Dlamini, South Africa’s deputy foreign minister in Tehran on Sunday.

The African official is in the Iranian capital at the head of a delegation to attend a meeting of the countries’ joint political deliberative committee.

The current Iranian administration maintains a “special perspective” of relations with South Africa, the foreign minister said, adding, “Iran recognizes no limits concerning [the expansion of] its relations” with the country.

Amir-Abdollahian described the joint relations as “historical and friendly.” He said the countries enjoyed “very good capacities” that could be used towards the development of their ties, and reminded that the upcoming meeting of the countries’ joint commission that was going to take place in Pretoria was of significance in this regard.

The Iranian official, meanwhile, expressed gratitude towards South Africa over its supportive positions concerning the Palestinian people’s struggle in the face of Israeli occupation and aggression.

The African official, for her part, expressed hope that the joint political deliberative committee’s meeting would feature “favorable and constructive” discussions about various issues and result in the establishment of the “bilateral ties’ roadmap.”

She also anticipated that the joint commission’s meeting in South Africa, and shuttling diplomacy by the countries’ officials would lead to further development of the mutual relations and cooperation.

Also on Sunday, the foreign minister held a telephone conversation with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

The officials addressed such issues as the latest agreements among the countries’ officials and the upcoming World Cup that is expected to be held in the Arab country.

They also discussed all-out expansion of the bilateral ties and the negotiations in the Austrian capital of Vienna that seek to revive the Islamic Republic’s 2015 nuclear deal with world countries.

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