Irans Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has held meetings with a number of African dignitaries who were in the capital Tehran to attend the inauguration of new Iranian President Hassan Rohani.In a meeting with his Burundian counterpart Laurent Kavakure on Sunday, Salehi conveyed his appreciation to the countrys president for sending an envoy to take part in President Rohanis swearing-in ceremony, further expressing optimism that mutual relations between the two nations would expand beyond their good political ties.
Congratulating the Iranian nation on the election of a new president, Kavakure, in turn, expressed his countrys respect for Iran on the international stage, calling for further expansion of bilateral ties during Rohanis presidency.
In a separate meeting with Togolese Foreign Minister Elliott Ohin, Salehi thanked the top official for representing the African country in President Rohanis inauguration and underlined the need for upgrading the existing level of mutual ties.
Salehi expressed Irans willingness to further share with Togo its expertise in the fields of agriculture and food industries.
For his part, Ohin also expressed pleasure over his countrys relations with the Islamic Republic and called for the further enhancement of bilateral ties on all fronts.
The Iranian foreign minister also met with Nigerien Presidential Advisor and Special Emissary Hama Abdurrahman, thanking him for taking part in Rohanis presidential inauguration.
He said Irans political ties with Niger are very good, but efforts should be made to boost relations in other fields as well.
The senior Nigerien official, in turn, expressed his nations deep interest in forging closer cooperation with the Islamic Republic.
Also in a telephone conversation with his Sudanese opposite number Ali Karti, the Iranian foreign minister expressed regret over the circumstances which kept Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir from attending Rohanis inauguration.
According to a statement released by Sudan, the Saudi government closed its airspace to the aircraft carrying al-Bashir to Iran to attend Rohanis swearing-in, forcing the plane to return to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
During the phone conversation, both sides expressed hope the two presidents would hold meetings in Tehran and Khartoum.
Rohani was sworn into office as Irans new president during a ceremony in Irans Majlis on Sunday, which was attended by Iranian officials as well as foreign dignitaries.
By Press TV
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