Salehi heads for Tunisia on two-day visit

Islamic Republic of Iran Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi headed for Tunisia on Monday morning to hold talks with the senior officials of the North African country.

During the two-day state visit, Salehi will meet with his Tunisian counterpart Rafeeq Abdel-Salam and other high-ranking Tunisian officials.

Speaking to reporters after a cabinet session in Tehran on Sunday, Salehi said he would visit Tunisia on Monday at his Tunisian counterpart’s invitation to hold good bilateral discussions with the country’s senior authorities.

Iranian Foreign Minister added that the two sides would exchange views on the latest developments in the region.

Iran has good economic and trade relations with Tunisia as a Muslim country, he noted.

Salehi also described as bright and constructive the prospects of future ties between Tehran and Tunis.

It is the first visit by a high-ranking Iranian official to Tunisia after the fall of Western-backed dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

In January 2011, Tunisians’ popular protests led to the ouster of the Western-propped dictator who is now facing charges of manslaughter.

Tunisia’s popular revolution sparked a wave of anti-regime protests in North Africa and the Middle East and led to the downfall of long-time dictators in Egypt, Libya and Yemen.