Iran’s Deputy FM Meets Filipino Foreign Secretary in Manila


Iran’s Deputy FM Meets Filipino Foreign Secretary in Manila

TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary and Iranian Expatriates Affairs Hassan Qashqavi on Thursday met with the Philippines’ Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert Ferreros del Rosario.

During the meeting, which was also attended by the two countries’ ambassadors, Qashqavi delivered the warm greetings of Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to the Filipino top diplomat and extended Zarif’s invitation to del Rosario to visit Iran.

Qashqavi was in Manila to attend the 5th the Philippines-Iran Joint Consular Consultation Meeting which was held on January 29-30.

Del Rosario, for his part, expressed gratitude for the invitation and described the year 2014, which marks the 50th year of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Iran and the Philippines, as a good opportunity for the two countries to further introduce their potentials to one another.

He also hailed the opening of a new diplomatic atmosphere in relations between Iran and various countries in the world.

Earlier on Thursday, Qashqavi met with the Philippines’ Speaker of the House of Representatives Feliciano Belmonte, Jr.

He extended Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani’s invitation to Belmonte to pay a visit to Tehran.

The deputy foreign minister further pointed to the Iran-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Iranian parliament, and called for the formation of a similar group in the Philippines’ parliament.

Belmonte referred to Iran’s position in the Muslim world and called for Tehran’s assistance with and support for the ongoing peace negotiations between the Manila government and the Philippines’ Muslims.

Iran and the Philippines started bilateral relations in 1974. In recent years, the two countries have expressed their desire to work to enhance the existing friendly relations and to increase cooperation in various political, economic and cultural areas.

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