Salehi Off To Benin On First Leg Of African Tour

Tehran, Jan 6, IRNA – Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi heading a political delegation left Tehran on Saturday for Cotonou, Benin on the first leg of his African tour. During his African tour, Salehi is to confer with officials in Benin, Burkina Faso and Ghana on issues of mutual interests as well as regional and global developments. Porto-Novo is the capital city of Benin but its government is now located at Cotonou city where the Iranian delegation is to confer with officials of that country on mutual, regional and global developments. Benin is the rotating chair of African Union. Benin's foreign minister visited Tehran last year when the two sides inked memorandum of understandings (MoUs) on expansion of economic cooperation as well as easing consular formalities for both nationals. Salehi's visit to Africa is in response to the visits made by his counterparts from Benin, Burkina Faso and Ghana to Tehran last year./end