Iran and the black continent signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation to promote global peace and security, including through joint peacekeeping efforts.
It was signed by Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari and African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security Smail Chergui in a Tehran meeting on Monday.
Speaking in the meeting, the deputy minister said the Islamic Republic is ready to transfer its extensive counter-terrorism experience to the 54-nation bloc, IRNA reported.
"We hope that the common policies of the two sides and this MoU will help prepare the ground for closer relations between Iran and AU," he said.
Ansari noted that the spread of terrorism and extremism has created a global challenge that threatens both Africa and West Asia.
"Unfortunately, some regional and international players are categorizing terrorists into good and bad ones, aiming to use terrorist outfits to advance their political agenda," he said.
"They ignore the fact that these extremist groups have their own agenda and will ultimately harm their sponsor states."
Chergui described Iran as an influential and high-potential country, working with which to promote peace and fight terrorism can help advance the three main goals of the AU, namely "peace, security and development".
"Besides security collaboration, the African bloc is willing to have closer economic ties in various areas," he added.
Chergui also sat down for talks with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday.
The 15-member Peace and Security Council was established in 2004 for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts.
The AU, which replaced the Organization of African Unity in 2001, includes all African states that are members of the United Nations.
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