“We have always tried to have excellent political relations with African countries,” Zarif said during his Monday meeting with Iranian investors and merchants living in Kenya.
He added that Iran’s administration attaches great significance to bilateral relations with Africa as a trade partner.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran enjoys a long-term plan for mutual cooperation with Africa in the economic, scientific, educational and health care fields,” he noted.
The Iranian foreign minister stressed the need for providing grounds for closer cooperation with the African countries.
Zarif, heading a high-ranking political and economic delegation, started his tour of Africa on Sunday evening.
During his trip to Kenya, Zarif plans to hold meetings with the country’s high-ranking officials and discuss a whole host of issues, including bilateral relations as well as the latest developments in the region and the world.
The Iranian foreign minister is also slated to pay official visits to Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania at the invitation of his counterparts in the African countries.
Expansion of relations with African countries in all political, economic and cultural fields is a matter of prime importance in Iranian foreign policy agenda.