Iran, Nicaragua stress broadening mutual cooperation

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and Nicaraguan Parliament Speaker Rene Nunez in a meeting in Tehran underlined the need for the further expansion of mutual cooperation between Tehran and Managua.During the meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, the Iranian foreign minister and the Nicaraguan parliament speaker explored avenues for bolstering and reinvigorating bilateral ties.Salehi pointed to the good and friendly relations between Tehran and Managua, and said, "Increasing the exchange of visits between Iranian and Nicaraguan officials will further help boost relations between Iran and Nicaragua."Nunez, for his part, said that bilateral ties between Iran and Nicaragua was first established seven months after the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and two months after the victory of the Nicaraguan Revolution in the same year.The Nicaraguan parliament speaker expressed the hope that Tehran and Managua will further broaden their all-out ties in the future.Iran has been seeking to boost its ties with Latin American countries in recent years to the concern of the United States.Since taking office in 2005, President Ahmadinejad has expanded Iran's cooperation with many Latin American states, including Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Brazil.The strong and rapidly growing ties between Iran and Latin America have raised eyebrows in the US and its western allies since Tehran and Latin nations have forged an alliance against the imperialist and colonialist powers and are striving hard to reinvigorate their relations with the other independent countries which pursue a line of policy independent from the US.