Iranian Foreign Minister meets South African President, talks expansion of bilateral ties

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amirabdollahian, who is in Pretoria for the 15th meeting of the Joint Commission of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of South Africa, met with President Ramaphosa of South Africa on Thursday afternoon.

The Iranian Foreign Minister expressed satisfaction with the strong and expanding relations between the two countries and the successful outcome of the 15th meeting of the Joint Economic Cooperation Commission. He emphasized the importance of the constructive agreements reached across different sectors and the preparation of multiple cooperation documents.

Amirabdollahian also announced the Islamic Republic of Iran’s acceptance of the invitation to participate in the BRICS summit. President Raisi of Iran will attend the meeting.

He highlighted Iran’s vital role in West Asia and South Africa’s influence in the African continent, emphasizing the potential for collaboration between Tehran and Pretoria in various fields given their capacities. The top Iranian diplomat warmly welcomed the development of cooperation between the two nations.

President Ramaphosa, in turn, conveyed his greetings to the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and expressed satisfaction with his acceptance of the invitation to attend the BRICS summit and his upcoming official visit to South Africa in the fall. He described President Raisi’s visit as important and stressed the significance of his Iranian counterpart’s presence at the BRICS summit and South Africa’s keen interest in Iran’s participation in the event.

Ramaphosa noted that the BRICS summit holds significant global attention and South Africa fully supports Iran’s inclusion as a friendly nation. He stated, “We are pleased with the agreements reached at the joint commission meeting and we are ready to implement them.”

Ramaphosa expressed hope that during the upcoming official visit of the Iranian President, several cooperation documents would be signed, leading to the effective implementation of bilateral cooperation agreements across various fields.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Islamic Republic of Iran.