Iran-Iceland urge boost in mutual ties

Tehran, Dec 9, IRNA – Minister of Industries and Mines Ali-Akbar Mehrabian held talks with Icelandic President Olafur Grimsson on issues of mutual interest in Vienna, Austria, on Wednesday.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

The two sides called for expansion of bilateral cooperation in the area of energy.

Referring to the Islamic Republic of Iran's potentials in mineral and industrial fields, Mehrabian voiced Tehran's willingness to expand ties with Iceland in technical and engineering services.

Grimsson, for his part, praised his country's capability to make use of geothermal energy in various tourism, medical and energy fields.

He also voiced Iceland's readiness to share experiences with the Islamic Republic of Iran in that respect.

Cooperation in the fields of energy and constructing geothermal powerplants was also stressed in the meeting.

The five-day biennial UNIDO General Conference, chaired by the Islamic Republic of Iran, kicked off in Vienna on Monday.

Iran’s Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh chairs the event.

The conference is attended by presidents, premiers and industry ministers from 100 different world countries.

This year, the event has a thematic focus on “green industries” and the opportunities they offer for developing countries in the current economic circumstance.

The General Conference, UNIDO’s highest policymaking organ, consists of all 173 member states.

It will re-appoint director-general for a period of four years, approve the program and budgets and establish the scale assessments for regular budget expenditures for the forthcoming biennium.