At a joint press conference with his Ghanaian counterpart Hanna Tetteh in Tehran on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif touched upon Iran-Ghana, Iran-Africa, and Tehran-Riyadh relations.
On regional efforts against violence and extremism, Iranian Foreign Minister said it is in the interest of both Iran and Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism in the region as he expressed the Islamic Republic’s willingness to cooperate with regional players on the issue of terrorism.
The top Iranian diplomat also called for concerted efforts by all regional countries to confront extremism and sectarianism.
Zarif deemed regional issues a priority in Iran’s foreign policy and said, “the policy of comprehensive economic and security development for all regional countries is always on our agenda.”
Iran’s foreign minister said that Tehran attached a great deal of significance to its relations with Africa as both sides shared many common interests and challenges. Mohammad Javad Zarif affirmed Iran enjoys close cooperation with African countries in the spheres of education, energy and agriculture.
The Iranian minister highlighted the value of Ghana for Iran as it supported the Islamic Republic at the United Nations Security Council during the Iraqi war on Iran in the 1980s and “set a good precedent by supporting our people’s right and struggle against occupation and invasion,” he said.
Zarif also said he will pay a visit to West Africa in near future, adding that Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama has also been invited by his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani to visit Iran in the next seven months.
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