Iran's President Mohammed Khatami said Tuesday that expanding relations with Africa and Latin America is one the pivotal principles of Iran's foreign policy, reported Iran News Agency (IRNA).
Khatami underlined the need for greater efforts to further promote these ties, said the agency.
The president made the remark in a meeting with the new Iranian ambassadors to the Vatican, Colombia, Chile, Algeria, Niger and Kenya as well as consul general to Russia's Astrakhan.
Pointing to the developments in Latin America, Khatami said that given the existing potentials and available grounds, relations with those countries should further expand and improve.
He also pointed to the grounds for cooperation with African states, and underlined the significance of countries in North Africa, especially Algeria. He called for further expansion of consolidation of ties with African states, IRNA said.
Algeria and Iran decided in September to re-establish diplomatic relations, interrupted since 1993, following a meeting in New York Friday between the presidents of the two countries.
In 1979, Algeria expressed support for the Islamist revolution which overthrew the Shah that year, and its subsequent role as a mediator in the Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988 was appreciated by Tehran.
Khatami also underlined the importance of the Vatican in the world of Christianity, and said further dynamism should be created in bilateral dialogue and cooperation.
Elsewhere in his remarks, IRNA quoted Khatami as saying that relations with Russia will prepare the ground for stability in the region and will prevent influence of the aliens.
He stressed the need to move toward forging solid and sustainable relations and joint cooperation with the country in all areas, added the agency -- Albawaba.com
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