Iran seeks all-out ‘sustainable’ ties with African states

“The current century is the century of Africa, and the developments that we have been witnessing in this continent over the recent years clearly indicate that great political, cultural, social and even economic developments are playing out in Africa,” Ali Akbar Salehi said on Thursday.

Salehi made the remarks during a ceremony in Tehran to mark the Africa Day, the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). The event, held in Iran’s Foreign Ministry, was attended by ambassadors and representatives of African states to Tehran as well as foreign guests.

Iran and African countries have numerous potentialities to enhance their relations, said Salehi, calling for the removal of obstacles to the expansion of mutual economic cooperation.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always made efforts and plans to pave the way for fundamental, practicable and sustainable cooperation with African countries,” the top Iranian diplomat pointed out.

A central plank of the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy has been to enhance relations with African nations on all political, economic and cultural fronts, said the foreign minister.

The OAU was established on May 25, 1963 in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. The organization was replaced by the African Union (AU) in 2002.