صراط عشق صراط عشق
Political Visas Lifted in First Step
Iran, Algeria Move to Strengthen Ties
– Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian said Saturday that relations with Algeria are œon the right track with both countries reaching an agreement to ease visa requirements.
Addressing a joint press conference with his Algerian counterpart Ahmed Altaf in Tehran, Amir-Abdollahian described talks with the visiting official as œgood and fruitful.
He said the two sides agreed to annul political visas in the first step, followed by normal travel visas.
He added that the two sides expressed willingness to expand cooperation in the fields of science and technology, agriculture, medicine and medical equipment, tourism, industry and mining.
The two countries also reached a consensus on holding a joint commission meeting at the level of vice presidents and foreign ministers to follow up on these agreements, Amir-Abdollahian said.
Talks between the two ministers also dwelt on the unrest in Sudan, with Iran™s top diplomat terming it a œcommon concernfor both Tehran and Algiers. He underlined the need to restore a ceasefire in the crisis-hit country.
œAlgeria did not allow the Zionist regime to become an observer member in the African Union … This country has always supported Palestine and also played an important role in the return of Syria to the Arab League, the minister said.
Amir-Abdollahian said Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will be participating in the meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Algeria, which he said will provide an opportunity for the top officials of the two countries to meet and hold talks.
The top Algerian diplomat™s visit to Iran came days after Raisi and his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune discussed plans to bolster bilateral relations in a phone call.
On Saturday, President Raisi underscored Iran™s determination to develop relations with Algeria, especially in the commercial and economic fields. He also congratulated Algeria on its Independence Day, which falls on July 5.
Raisi has affirmed Iran™s commitment to expanding political and economic relations with Algeria, based on their shared perspectives about regional and international issues.
In a meeting with Foreign Minister Attaf later Saturday, Raisi said the two friendly and Muslim countries have the capacities to expand ties in various fields, including in trade and economy.
The president praised Algeria™s revolutionary history and the resilience.
of its people against colonialism, and regarded the relationship between Iran and Algeria as one of friendship, brotherhood, and shared Muslim values.
This relationship could extend to various areas, including trade and economy, he added.
Pointing to Iran™s remarkable scientific and technological achievements, Raisi expressed Iran™s readiness to share these accomplishments with Algeria.
The Iranian president emphasized the need to increase interactions among Muslim countries to form a strong coalition of aligned Islamic states.
There would be no atrocities by tyrannical systems against Muslims in the region and the world if Muslim nations stood in unity, he said, referring to the common stance of Iran and Algeria on the importance of supporting the Palestinian cause.
Attaf, for his part, said President Tebboune has tasked him with expressing the country™s determination to expand the highest level of relations with Iran.
The Algerian diplomat praised Iran™s efforts to expand relations with Muslim countries, adding the current level of economic and trade relations between the two countries does not match the excellence of their political ties.
However, with determination of the presidents of both countries, significant transformations can be expected in the economic and trade sphere, he said.
The top Algerian diplomat arrived in Tehran on Saturday at the head of a politico-economic delegation to discuss ways for the expansion of mutual relations.
Iranian-Algerian relations have been marked by ups and downs since the 1979 revolution in Iran, with tensions reaching the climax in the mid-1990s and the two sides even severing diplomatic ties.
In the early 2000s, the two countries started warming up to each other again.
