TEHRAN, Jun 03 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held separate meetings with his counterparts who attended the foreign ministerial BRICS summit in South Africa's Cape Town.

Iran, Saudi FMs express satisfaction with good progress achieved in bilateral ties

On the sidelines of a foreign ministerial BRICS summit and a ‘Friends of BRICS’ meeting in Cape Town, Amir-Abdollahian sat down for discussions with his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

Amir-Abdollahian expressed satisfaction with the good progress made in bilateral ties, saying the ambassadors of the two countries have been introduced fortunately and the stage has been set for the opening of the Embassies and Consulates of the two countries.

He thanked Saudi Arabia for making preparations and providing facilities for Iran’s Hajj pilgrims.

The top Iranian diplomat added that in the previous talks, the two sides discussed the necessity of strengthening the commercial and economic relations between the two countries and that his Saudi counterpart’s upcoming visit to Tehran will be an opportunity for further discussions and exchange of views aimed at boosting bilateral relations in various fields.

He considered BRICS as a new opportunity for multilateral cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia and other member countries of this group, especially in economic and commercial fields.

For his part, the Saudi foreign minister likewise expressed satisfaction with the very good progress achieved in bilateral relations with Iran.

Bin Farhan thanked the Iranian side for the valuable assistance in welcoming the Saudi technical delegation in order to lay the groundwork for the opening of the Saudi Embassy and Consulate in Iran.

He added that with the very good bilateral cooperation, the two sides quickly passed the stages of appointing ambassadors and setting the stage for the opening of political and consular missions, and the two states are moving towards a new stage in their relations, which will serve the interests of the two nations and the entire region.

The top Saudi diplomat also said he will visit Tehran soon.

The two sides also relayed the warm greetings of the top authorities of the two countries to one another.

Amir-Abdollahian, Lavrov discuss JCPOA, international and regional issues

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also held a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

During the conversation, the two foreign ministers exchanged views on current international and regional issues, including prospects for resuming the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme.

The parties expressed mutual satisfaction with the achieved level of foreign policy coordination between Moscow and Tehran.

In considering the bilateral agenda, the parties underscored their commitment to building up mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation.

The ministers agreed to maintain close contact on all issues of mutual interest.

Amir-Abdollahian expressed satisfaction with the progress of cooperation between the two countries in various fields and called for the removal of obstacles to further strengthen the economic and commercial cooperation between Iran and Russia.

Lavrov, in turn, voiced Russia's readiness to continue the talks between the two countries' senior experts in order to review and finalize the long-term comprehensive cooperation document.

He expressed hope that Iran's membership in BRICS will be provided soon.

Iran's membership in SCO to be finalized at New Delhi meeting

On the sidelines of the foreign ministerial BRICS summit in Cape Town, the Iranian foreign minister also held talks with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Amir-Abdollahian announced Iran's readiness to expand economic, commercial, investment, scientific and technological relations with India, expressing hope that the existing obstacles in the process of economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries will be removed soon. 

Referring to the great economic capacities of Iran, Amir-Abdollahian considered Iran's membership in BRICS as a basis for strengthening the position of BRICS and its economic capacities.

The Iranian foreign minister also expressed hope that in the upcoming meeting of the heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in New Delhi, the full membership of Iran in the organization should be approved.

For his part, Jaishankar emphasized the need to remove the obstacles to economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries. 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of India expressed his confidence regarding the process of Iran's full membership in the SCO in the upcoming meeting.

Comoros ready to revive relations with Iran

In a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, the Comorian Foreign Minister Dahir Zul Kamal expressed his country's willingness to revive relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Amir-Abdollahia and Zul Kamal agreed to start organizing the preparations for the revival of ties between Tehran and Moroni.

During the meeting, the two top diplomats also discussed the ties between Iran and Comoros, describing the cultural, historical and religious connection of the two nations as spiritual assets for bilateral relations.

Iranian foreign minister offered felicitations to Comoros over chairing the African Union (AU) for 2023. He also stressed the Iranian government's policy to develop relations and cooperation with African countries.

Iran ready to develop comprehensive plan for long-term cooperation with Brazil

Amir-Abdollahian in a meeting with Mauro Vieira, the Brazilan Foreign Minister on the sidelines of the foreign ministerial BRICS summit in Cape Town voiced Iran's readiness to develop a comprehensive plan for long-term cooperation with Brazil.

Referring to the high volume of trade relations between the two countries, Amir-Abdollahian considered Brazil as big trade partner for Iran.  

He added that Brazil's support for Iran's membership in the BRICS group, in addition to strengthening multilateralism, will increase the volume of trade exchange and economic cooperation between Iran and Brazil.

Mauro Vieira, for his part, said that Brazil is opposed to unilateral sanctions, adding that the lifting of sanctions against Iran provides the basis for strengthening bilateral relations.

Iranian, Gabonese FMs confer on biltareal relations

Iranian foreign minister held talks with Gabonese counterpart in South Africa's Cape Town. 

The two sides discussed the bilateral relations between Tehran and Libreville.

Iran's top diplomat, Cuban deputy FM discuss ties

Amir-Abdollahian also met and held talks with the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba Gerardo Penalver Portal.

The two sides discussed the bilateral relations between Tehran and Havana.

Penalver also presented a report on the latest developments in the relations between the two countries and informed Amir-Abdollahian about the plans and programs proposed by Cuba to expand relations with Iran.

MNA/