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Iran, Bolivia discuss oil, gas exploration

An Iranian deputy foreign minister visiting Bolivia discusses exploration of new oil and gas resources in the South American country.

Ali Asghar Khaji, the deputy foreign minister for Europe and Americas’ affairs, is in La Paz on a three-day-long official visit. The visit is a follow-up to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s trip to Bolivia last June.

Khaji along with Iran’s Ambassador to Bolivia, Ali Reza Qezeli were received on Thursday by Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca.

After meeting with the Bolivian foreign minister upon arrival, Qezeli said Tehran and La Paz have been discussing oil and gas exploration in Bolivia for nearly two years.

“The issue of collaboration in geological studies between Iran and Bolivia has been around for two years,” he said.

Qezeli also said, “Bolivia set as their priorities in cooperation the issues of sovereignty in food production and judicial issues, so we’ve focused our collaboration on Bolivia’s priorities.”

The Iranian official, however, denied local media reports that Tehran and La Paz have reached agreement to search for oil and gas specifically in the Santa Cruz province in Amazon lowlands in eastern Bolivia.

For his part, Khaji said Iran will be sharing its experience in fighting drug trafficking with Bolivia.

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