Iran’s Raeisi arrives in Caracas on first stop of Latin American tour

Raeisi arrived at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas on Monday, leading a high-ranking delegation at the formal invitation of his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro.

Upon arrival, the Iranian president was welcomed by Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren as well as other senior officials from the Latin American country.

Within hours, Raeisi is scheduled to meet Maduro at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, which is followed by joint negotiations of the high-ranking delegations of the two countries.

A high-ranking delegation comprised of ministers of foreign affairs, oil, defense, and health is accompanying Raeisi on the five-day tour taking him to Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba.

During his visit to the three countries, various cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding will be signed between Iranian officials and their counterparts.

Raeisi is also scheduled to meet with Iranian businesspeople and economic actors in those countries.

Iran has close ties with many Latin American states in different domains and seeks to further deepen its relations with those nations.

Back in February, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made an official visit to two Latin American countries of Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Last June, Iran and Venezuela signed a 20-year partnership agreement aimed at bolstering bilateral cooperation in various fields during Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s visit to Tehran.

The partnership agreement includes cooperation in the fields of science, technology, agriculture, oil and gas, petrochemicals, tourism and culture.