Iran's FM in South Africa to deepen ties, prepare agreements for Raisi
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The Iranian President will be making an official visit to the friendly country on August 24 during which he is expected to sign bilateral agreements.
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Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks during a press conference with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Iran's capital Tehran, June 25, 2022 (AFP)
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor engaged in talks discussing the bilateral relations between the two countries during a meeting in Pretoria.
Amir-Abdollahian is attending the 15th Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation held in Pretoria, which was held after a three-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Iran's Foreign Minister was accompanied by his deputy and a delegation of Iranian businessmen as part of plans to boost trade relations between the two friendly countries and prepare bilateral agreements to be signed by Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi’s upcoming visit, Amir-Abdollahian said.
Read more: BRICS received applications from 22 countries for membership: Diplomat
The Iranian President is scheduled to make a two-day trip to South Africa on August 24 to participate in the friends-of-BRICS summit and will make another visit during the fall to further discuss topics of mutual interests, the Minister noted.
Amir-Abdollahian also noted that Raisi is expected to pay two visits to South Africa, one on August 24 to attend the summit of the friends of BRICS and the other in the fall to discuss bilateral ties.
The Foreign Minister revealed on Thursday that Iran is working closely with BRICS founding members China and India ahead of Tehran's expected accession into the organization, adding that Iran will provide huge benefits for the economic group.
Furthermore, during his address at the "Iran and BRICS" conference in Tehran on Tuesday, he expressed his pleasure in regard to the work done between the bloc and the Iranian government, particularly that of cooperation and mutual consultation between the two, and praised the organization for the economic growth that its members have witnessed, in addition to the "increased global trust" in the virtues of joining the economic bloc.
The top diplomat said the achievements of BRICS are evident in the "great interest" of nations in the Global South who seek to join the organization.
Read more: Iran BRICS membership to soon be materialized, Raisi says
What role will Iran play in BRICS?
The top diplomat highlighted Iran's long-standing approach toward multilateralism in regard to the international system, saying its approach "is not just a reaction to unilateralism," but it is a choice of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
He also pointed to the cooperation between Iran and BRICS on the North-South corridor, highlighting the fact that cooperation with China specifically has connected Beijing to the Oman Sea through the Gulf.
Iran can link and even act as a transportation hub that links China to South Africa and even Brazil, he added.
Iran, alongside other energy-rich countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE, will strengthen the economic position of the bloc and ensure long-lasting energy security for the organization, the diplomat stressed.
In the upcoming BRICS summit set to take place in South Africa on August 22, Iran and other nations are expected to be part of the awaited expansion of the transcontinental organization.
