The minister of foreign affairs has said diplomatic missions in other countries should introduce Iran's economic potential to the outside world.
In a meeting with newly appointed heads of diplomatic missions abroad on Saturday, Mohammad Javad Zarif said, "Iran's representatives to other countries should make serious efforts to introduce the economic potential in the country and prepare the ground for boosting export," IRNA reported.
He continued that the diplomats should endeavor to facilitate the establishment of wide-ranging trade and economic ties with other countries on the basis of the country's capabilities as their top mission priority.
Highlighting the significance of "economic diplomacy", the top diplomat said the foreign ministry has put the "resistance economy" top on its agenda in line with its "economic diplomacy doctrine."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has set out the principles of the resistance economy plan which mainly calls for measures to help boost domestic production to reduce reliance on oil revenues and counter the West's pressure on the country.
The foreign minister referred to the Iranians who live abroad and said, "The Iranian nationals living in any country are among the cultivated people in that country."
He said the Iranian expatriates in many foreign countries are well-known for the positive role they have in various scientific fields.
He described the expats as the country's assets and emphasized, "It is necessary for Iran's representatives abroad to have an appropriate plan to provide services to their compatriots and try to address their problems in other countries."
In the meeting, ten newly appointed envoys, who were initially proposed by the foreign minister and then approved by President Hassan Rouhani, elaborated on their plans and mission priorities just ahead of their trip to their mission destinations.
