Iran ready to give Bolivia advanced defense tech: Minister

Iran says it is ready to supply Bolivia with advanced technologies in the defense sector.

Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, the defense minister of the Islamic Republic, met with Bolivian Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo Aguilar in Tehran on Sunday.

“We believe strengthening defense relations will boost the deterrence power of the Bolivian government,” the Iranian minister said.

Ashtiani said expansion of ties between Iran and Bolivia, as independent and revolutionary countries in two different geographical areas, is a strategic necessity.

Stressing the special significance of Latin American countries in Iran’s foreign policy, he said relations between Tehran and La Paz exemplify interaction among independent countries.

The Iranian defense chief said the two countries have the potential to improve political, educational, scientific and technological and defense cooperation. He said a new international order is forming in which a set of independent countries seek closer regional and global cooperation.

Ashtiani also warned of plots by enemies to undermine independent countries and called for “vigilance and unity” in the face of threats to Iran and Bolivia.

The Bolivian defense minister, for his part, put a premium on unity among freedom-seeking nations. Aguilar described his visit to Tehran as an opportunity to deepen relations.

He praised the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran as a model for freedom-seeking nations. Aguilar also underscored Iran’s remarkable achievements in the fields of science and technology, security and defense industry, despite the Western sanctions regime.

The Bolivian defense chief said his country was ready to cooperate with Iran in the fight against drug trafficking.