Tasnim � Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hoped for closer cooperation with Ivory Coast in various fields.


In a message to his Ivorian counterpart Alassane Ouattara, Rouhani congratulated him on the West African country�s Independence Day.

He also expressed the hope that Iran and Ivory Coast would expand relations and promote cooperation in diverse fields of mutual interest in light of efforts by the two countries� officials.

Ivory Coast had been controlled by France as a colony since 1880s, but could finally gain independence on August 7, 1960.

F�lix Houphou�t-Boigny was the African nation�s first president who remained in power until his death in December 1993.

Located in West Africa, Ivory Coast has gained fame as an important supplier of energy to the sub-Saharan region due to its reserves of natural gas, excess electrical generating capacity, and offshore oil and gas fields.

Offshore oil was discovered in Ivory Coast in 1977, while crude production started three years later.