Ahmadinejad: Expansion of ties with African countries, Iran’s strategy

IRI President said here Monday in a meeting with Mauritanian prime minister on sidelines of 25th economic summit of OIC, “Expansion and broadening of relations with African countries is Iran’s strategy.”

According to IRNA, the Presidential Website reported President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as adding during the meeting, “It is necessary to resort to entire potentials in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Mauritania aimed at broadening the bilateral relations.”
Referring to the shared interests of the two countries, the president said, “Although the geographical distance between the two countries might be long, but the hearts of the two nations are close to one another and we are interested in rapid expansion of ties as far as possible.”
Ahmadinejad pointed out that regarding Iran-Mauritania relations, in addition to the heartfelt interests, there are shared cultural and political approaches, reiterating, “The existence of shared political interests that are in many cases fully the same and in line with one another, has created shared responsibilities for us regarding the Islamic world that we hope we would be able to shoulder this heavy responsibility in best possible way.”
The president meanwhile stressed the need for implementing the articles of the reached bilateral agreements, arguing, “We hope Mauritania would soon enter the realm of advanced countries of the world.”
The Mauritanian Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf, too, said during the meeting that the two countries have shared viewpoints in many fields, adding, “Today we are in need of blowing a new soul into the body of the two countries’ relations and the two countries must be able to expand cooperation and relations as far a possible.”
Prime Minister Laghdaf referred to a part of the existing potentials in his country in agricultural and animal husbandry fields, asking for Iran’s increased cooperation and relations with Mauritania, particularly in those fields.
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