Australian Deputy Foreign Minister Ric Wells, who arrived in Tehran Wednesday on a two-day trip, met his counterparts for Arab and African affairs, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and for Asian and Pacific affairs, Ebrahim Rahimpour, to discuss regional issues, including developments in Iraq and Syria. Expressing his country’s interest in increasing bilateral cooperation in various political, economic and cultural domains, Wells stressed the necessity for serious collaboration among Middle Eastern states in the fight against terrorism to address concerns particularly over the activities of the so-called Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria. He praised Tehran for its “effective” role in aiding the Iraqi government in the anti-IS campaign, according to a Foreign Ministry press release. Pointing to the recent trip by Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to Tehran, the diplomat called for continued consultations and increased mutual visits by the two sides’ high-level officials to help improve bilateral ties. Wells extended an invitation to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to visit Canberra.
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