Tehran Eyes ‘Meaningful’ Expansion of Ties With Latin America

President Ebrahim Raeisi on Monday said that one of Iran’s top priorities in foreign policy is to strengthen ties with Latin American nations, especially Venezuela. 
In a meeting with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia, Raeisi highlighted the importance of economic ties with the South American state, President.ir reported.
“It is the Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy to expand meaningful relations with developing countries,” he said. “Especially those that seek to maintain independence from domineering nations.”
The top official pointed out that his administration is adamant to solve problems created by “enemies” in order to continue Iran’s development. 
Pointing to bilateral relations in various sectors, Raeisi said, “A clear and long-term plan needs to be devised to maximize the expansion of bilateral ties.”
The president concluded his remarks by highlighting Venezuela’s status in Iran’s foreign policy and expressed hope that the Venezuelan president’s trip to Tehran in the near future can prepare the ground for long-term cooperation.  
President Nicolas Maduro is slated to travel to Iran over the next few months to further hammer out the two countries’ plans for cooperation. 
Plasencia in response named Iran as one of the influential states in the region and said Caracas is committed to helping Iran tackle American intervention. 
“Venezuela is ready to expand ties in all sectors with the Islamic Republic,” the top diplomat said. 
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also met with Plasencia on Monday and held the first round of talks on a 20-year roadmap between the two countries. 
“Before the end of 2021, a joint economic commission will be held and in this commission, we’ll negotiate the 20-year roadmap,” the foreign minister said. 
According to Amir-Abdollahian, Iran and Venezuela have arrived at mutual agreements over the past years that testify to deepening relations between the two nations. 
He said, “Iran supports the people of Venezuela, President Maduro and all legal institutions in Venezuela and see the United States’ policies as unconstructive.”
“I hereby invite the private sector to pay attention to investment opportunities in Venezuela,” he added.
The United States has imposed sweeping sanctions on Venezuela that has significantly weakened the Latin American country’s economy in the past years.