Brazilian FM arrives in Iran for talks on expansion of mutual ties

Brazilian Minister of External Relations Mauro Luiz Iecker Vieira arrived in Tehran on Saturday for talks with senior Iranian officials on expansion of mutual ties, local media reported.

During his trip, the Brazilian minister will meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.

The expansion of Iran-Brazil ties in diverse areas is at the agenda of Vieira's visit to Tehran.

Iran-Brazil relations are featured by economic and diplomatic cooperation. Iran had close and amicable relations with Brazil when Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva was Brazil's president in 2002-2010.

However, since the election of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in 2011, relations between the two countries deteriorated, as Rousseff shifted Brazil away from Iran due to Iran's "violation of human and civil rights."

In September last year, President Hassan Rouhani sent a message to Rousseff expressing the hope that mutual cooperation between two countries would recover.

Source: XINHUA