Visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hailed the “strong” political ties between the Islamic Republic and Bolivia and said the relations will pave the way for further promotion of economic interaction between the two countries.
Speaking at joint business forum in Bolivia on Friday evening attended by economic activists from the Iranian and Bolivian public and private sectors, Zarif said Iran has always sided with the government and people of Bolivia.
He further pointed to the presence of Iranian and Bolivian entrepreneurs in the gathering and said it is indicative of the willingness of the two countries’ private and public sectors to utilize their capacities in line with efforts to develop the countries and regions they are located in.
The Iranian top diplomat also described political relations between Tehran and Sucre as “very good” and expressed the confidence that the “strong political ties” would pave the way for closer economic relations in the future.
Also on Friday, Zarif has held talks with Bolivian President Evo Morales on a range of issues, including ways to deepen relations between the two countries.
Heading a 120-strong delegation of business people and economic officials, Zarif is now in Sucre on the fifth leg of his six-nation tour of Latin America, which will take him to Venezuela later.
He had visited Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Chile before Bolivia.
The developments come against the backdrop of a new wave of interest in ties with Iran after Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) on July 14, 2015 reached a conclusion over the text of a comprehensive 159-page deal on Tehran's nuclear program and started implementing it on January 16.
The comprehensive nuclear deal, known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), terminated all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran.