Zarif to set off for Italy, Azerbaijan Thu.

According to FM Spokesman Bahram Ghasemi, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will visit Italy on Thursday to participate in the third international Med Dialogues conference.

The conference is being held by the Italian foreign ministry and the Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) between November 30 and December 2.

Mediterranean and world leaders will gather together in this conference to exchange ideas on shared security, shared prosperity, immigration, culture and civil society, Ghasemi added.

Zarif has been invited by Italian foreign minister Angelino Alfano as one of the key speakers at the event.

The Iranian diplomat will then depart for Azerbaijan Republic on Friday to take part in the seventh Ministerial Conference of the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process on Afghanistan.

“By focusing on Afghanistan, the conference will provide a framework for enhancing friendly and effective regional cooperation with an aim to promote peace and prosperity in the region,” Ghasemi said. “This framework has been developed as a way to address the challenges and interests of Afghanistan, its neighbors and regional partners, and is held annually in one of the participating countries.”

A total of 14 regional countries, 17 countries supporting the process, and representatives of 12 regional and international organizations will participate in the upcoming seventh session of the ministerial conference to be co-chaired by Afghanistan and Azerbaijan.