African Officials Meet Iran’s Foreign Minister
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi met with a number of African officials who have arrived in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the country’s new President Hassan Rouhani.
In separate meetings held on Sunday here in Tehran, Salehi met with delegations coming from the African countries of Niger, Togo, and Burundi.
Nigerien president’s Special Envoy Hama Abdulrahman was one of the guests who met with the Iranian minister on Sunday evening. The Nigerien official expressed his country’s eagerness to enhance ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Salehi also had a meeting with Togo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Elliot Ohin during which the two sides explored avenues to strengthen bilateral relations.
Salehi also expressed Tehran’s preparedness to provide Togo with agricultural and industrial assistance.
Burundi’s Minister of External Relations and International Cooperation Laurent Kavakure was also among other African envoys that met with Iran’s foreign minister. During the meeting, Salehi praised Burundi’s support for Iran’s stances, particularly over peaceful nuclear program and human rights issues.
Also in a Sunday telephone conversation with his Sudanese counterpart Mohammed Ali Ahmed Karti, Salehi expressed Iran’s regret over the developments that prevented Sudan’s President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir from flying to Iran.
Sudan’s president was travelling to Tehran in order to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new president on Sunday, when a neighboring country refused to give permission for the plane carrying al-Bashir to enter its airspace.
