Iran, Cuba Keen To Expand Bilateral Ties

Tehran, Jan 18, IRNA -- Iranian and Cuban diplomats, in a meeting in Havana, underlined the need for the further expansion of mutual cooperation between the two states. During the meeting in the Cuban capital on Tuesday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla explored avenues for bolstering and reinvigorating bilateral ties. During the meeting, Takht Ravanchi pointed to the current status of Iran-Cuba relations, and said, “Iran is ready to boost its bilateral ties with Cuba at different levels.” The Cuban foreign minister, for his part, pointed to the friendly relations between Iran and his country at different levels, and congratulated Iran for its recent agreement with the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany). Takht Ravanchi left Tehran for Havana on Monday to discuss bilateral ties with Cuban officials. The Iranian deputy foreign minister announced on Sunday that he is to visit Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia to hold talks with officials of those countries to pave the way for boosting Tehran's ties and interactions with the three Latin nations. He said his Latin American tour will last for ten days and focus on various political and economic agendas, including Iran's peaceful nuclear program. In mid-December, a conference on economic and trade cooperation between Iran and Latin America opened in Tehran. Participants in the conference titled Challenges Facing Iran-Latin America Cooperation reviewed impediments to the expansion of economic cooperation between Iran and Latin America. Heads of oil and gas products exporting companies as well as a number of economic and energy experts were present in the conference. Iran has in recent years expanded friendly ties with Latin America, specially in economic, trade and industrial fields. Iran's strong and rapidly growing ties with Latin America, specially with Venezuela, have raised eyebrows in the US and its western allies since Tehran and Latin nations have forged an alliance against the imperialist and colonialist powers and are striving hard to reinvigorate their relations with the other independent countries which pursue a line of policy independent from the US./end