Iran, Venezuela vow to boost strategic relations

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran and Venezuela will resolutely proceed with the improvement of their strategic relations.

“The people of Iran and Venezuela have resisted against foreign pressure and arrogant powers for many years and left good memories of solidarity with each other,” Zarif said at a conference in Caracas on Sunday to discuss opportunities for bolstering economic cooperation between the two countries.

He added that Iran would vigorously continue with its good and strong relations with Venezuela which is a legacy of the late Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, and his revolutionary and independent policies.

The top Iranian diplomat emphasized that cordial relations between Tehran and Caracas emanate from the independence-seeking policies and resistance of the two nations.

He said such political relations can continue deeper, more strategic and more serious than before through the improvement of economic cooperation.

Necessity of bolstering Tehran-Caracas ties

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez, who was also present in the conference, said the current visit by his Iranian counterpart and his entourage to Caracas highlights the strategic relations between the two sides.

She added that Iran and Venezuela are two active countries in some international bodies such as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and urged the two countries to further boost their close relations.

Zarif kicked off his six-nation Latin American tour on Monday at the head of a high-ranking politico-economic delegation comprising 120 businessmen and financial executives from government and private sectors. He is in Caracas on the last leg of the tour which has also taken him to Cuba, Bolivia, Chile, Nicaragua and Ecuador.

Among the Latin American countries, Iran has developed more advanced ties with Venezuela. The country is involved in a series of joint ventures worth several billion dollars in energy, agriculture, housing, and infrastructure sectors in Venezuela.

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