Tehran-Quito relations at highest level

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says diplomatic relations between Iran and Ecuador are at their highest level ever.

During a meeting with the new Ecuadorian ambassador to Tehran on Tuesday, Salehi congratulated the Ecuadorian nation and government on the recent presidential election in the South American country.

He expressed hope that bilateral ties between Tehran and Quito would expand during President Rafael Correa’s third term in office.

Ecuadorian Ambassador Umberto Vinuesa Rodriguez said that he would do his best to consolidate relations between the two countries and promote cooperation in all areas.

In a letter published on the Iranian president’s official website on Monday, Ahmadinejad congratulated Correa over his reelection, saying it would lead to “independence and progress” in the Latin American country.

“I believe that your reelection has once again displayed the hope and the unwavering will of the great nation of Ecuador clearly,” Ahmadinejad stated.

The Iranian president also said Correa’s election victory would lead to the expansion of ties between Latin American countries and other revolutionary countries in the world.

On Sunday, the 49-year-old Ecuadorian president got 56.9 percent of the vote against 23.8 percent for his closest challenger, Guillermo Lasso.

Thousands of his supporters gathered at the presidential palace in Quito to celebrate the victory after the results were announced.

Addressing his supporters from the balcony of the Carondelet Palace, Correa described his reelection as a victory for the “citizens’ revolution” and vowed to continue to fight poverty in the country.

“We are only here to serve you. Nothing for us. Everything for you,” Correa said.

“Thank you very much for this tremendous trust,” he told throngs of cheering supporters.