Iran, Georgia keen to broaden cooperation

Iranian and Georgian officials on Sunday reviewed the latest developments in the relations between the two countries, and underlined the necessity for boosting mutual cooperation. The remarks were made during a meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and outgoing Georgian Ambassador to Iran Giorgi Janjgava in Tehran on Sunday. During the meeting, Salehi pointed to the cultural and historical commonalities between Iran and Georgia, and said, "The presence of Iranian investors in Georgia will pave the way for the expansion of relations between the two countries." The Georgian ambassador, for his part, thanked Iranian officials for their cooperation during his mission in Tehran, and said, "The presence of 100,000 Iranians in Georgia indicates closeness of the two countries." He expressed the hope that the improving trend of the relations between Iran and Georgia would continue in future. Iran and Georgia have in recent years accelerated their efforts to expand bilateral and regional cooperation in all the various fields. In mid-December, Iranian Ambassador to Georgia Majid Saber and Georgian Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Khatuna Gogoladze in a meeting discussed expansion of the two countries' cooperation in different environmental fields, including biodiversity and maritime environment. During the meeting held in Tbilisi, the two sides called for the further development of mutual cooperation between Iran and Georgia in environmental spheres, and laid emphasis on the precise implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and agreements already signed between the two countries.