Ahmadinejad to start tour of three African countries

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans to start a tour of three African states in line with Tehran’s policy of promoting relations with the African continent, a top Iranian diplomat says.

The tour of Benin, Niger and Ghana, which is scheduled to start on Sunday, “is aimed at expanding relations and lending support to the security and prosperity of the nations and sustainable growth,” said Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

“Unfortunately, over the recent centuries, the assault of the colonialist powers on this rich … continent, for plundering its enormous resources and running the slave trade, has led to [its] underdevelopment and oppression against [African] nations,” he noted.

From the outset of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has sought to help promote security, prosperity and sustainable growth across Africa, Amir-Abdollahian pointed out.

“The most appropriate way to resolve the disputes in this region is through collective effort and indigenous solutions,” the Iranian diplomat said.

He pointed to the potentials of Iran and African countries in different areas, including agriculture, industry, technology, engineering, energy and education and underlined the importance of Iran’s constructive measures carried out across the continent.