The Cuban vice president says Havana is keen to step up its economic cooperation with Iran.
Gladys Maria Bejerano Portela made the remarks in a meeting with new ambassador to Havana, Kambiz Sheikh Hassani, in which he submitted his credentials.
In the meeting which took place at the Cuban presidential palace, the Cuban vice president expressed her country's support for Iran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and thanked Iran for voting in favor of resolutions that call for the lifting of US sanctions against Cuba, IRNA reported on Thursday.
Referring to the good bilateral relations between the two countries, she called for expansion of mutual ties, particularly in the business and economic sectors.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, who was also present in the meeting, described Iran's role in the international arena as significant and wished success for his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif. The Cuban foreign minister officially invited Zarif to visit Cuba.
Sheikh Hassani, for his part, conveyed the regards of President Hassan Rouhani and the foreign minister to their Cuban counterparts and praised Havana's stance on Iran's nuclear program and the country's human rights record.
He said, "Iran's resistance to safeguard its rights to enjoy peaceful nuclear energy will help protect the rights of all the developing countries, and our success in this effort is considered their achievement."
He said it is a priority in Iran's foreign policy to expand ties with the developing countries, expressing hope that the two countries would take the measures necessary to prepare the ground for boosting cooperation in view of the great potential for improving bilateral economic relations.
