Iran-Africa ties help world peace

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says enhanced cooperation between Iran and African countries can help establish peace and security in the world.

Mottaki made the comment at the closing ceremony of the Iran-Africa Forum in Tehran on Wednesday.

He said that various areas of cooperation between Tehran and the African countries were studied during the two-day forum and called the gathering a “creative” step towards the development of relations.

Mottaki said that during the meeting the participants underlined the need to establish an Iranian-African bank and agreed to develop cooperation in various sectors including economy, industry, transportation, agriculture and medicine.

The heads of states of Senegal and Malawi as well as representatives from over 40 African states attended the two-day Iran-Africa Forum, which mainly focused on expanding political and economic ties.

On the sidelines of the forum, Mottaki also met and held separate talks with former chairman of the African Union Commission, Ivory Coast’s parliament speaker, his counterparts from Togo and Sudan, and Mauritania’s minister of rural development.

During the meetings, Mottaki said that Iran was determined to develop ties with African countries.