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Africa tour primarily aimed at Iran’s ‘strategic depth’ boost: Raeisi
Raeisi made the remarks at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport early on Friday upon return from his African tour, which took him to Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Seeing the anti-colonialism spirit, faith and courage of the Iranian people following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, African nations were drawn to this revolution and the system that came out of it, Raeisi said.
The president stressed the need to promote ties with African nations, describing the continent as the land of opportunities where its potential should not be overlooked, Press TV reported.
“We value our ties with the African Continent, just as we do with the countries of Asia and other regions, and we should not overlook this continent which is full of opportunities,” he said.
‘Record’ 12 MoUs inked
Raeisi wrapped up his three-nation African tour with a visit to Zimbabwe where the two sides signed 12 memoranda of understanding to strengthen bilateral ties.
Raeisi met Thursday with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who urged nations targeted by Western sanctions to band together.
The two presidents signed a “record” 12 agreements on topics ranging from energy to telecommunications, Mnangagwa said. These will help Zimbabwe access innovation and technology from Iran and envisage the creation of a tractor factory to support agricultural mechanization, he added.
The two countries also signed cooperation agreements for energy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications as well as research, science and technology projects.
He said on Friday that his three-nation tour of Africa was also aimed at strengthening economic and trade relations with those countries and entering new markets with knowledge-based products made by Iranian experts.
The Iranian president mentioned the provision of raw materials as another goal of his African tour, saying that the issue of extra-territorial cultivation was also among the discussed subjects.
According to Raeisi, agreements have been made for barter deals with African countries, where Iran would receive basic goods in return for supplying petrochemical products.
Scientific and technological exchanges were another topic discussed during the trip, he said, adding, “Offices were accordingly established in all the three countries to take an effective step in facilitating and strengthening our communication and cooperation in this area.”
Pointing to “good meetings” with entrepreneurs and businessmen who expressed their readiness to expand business ties between Iran and Africa, Raeisi said ways to overcome existing challenges were also explored.
A total of 21 documents on cooperation in different areas were signed during the three-state tour to Africa.