Iran, Tunisia stress expansion of ties

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Tunisian Ambassador to Tehran Khaled Zitouni voiced their countries' willingness to consolidate the bilateral relations between the two brotherly states. In their Monday meeting, Zarif praised Tunisia as a flag bearer of progressive movements in the North Africa, and underscored that Iran is resolve to promote ties with Tunis in all spheres. Zitouni, for his part, underlined the need for expansion of Tehran-Tunis ties, particularly in economic and cultural fields and expressed optimism that the two countries would promote their relations in various areas in the future. Late in November, Iranian Minister of Economy Ali Tayyebnia and Tunisian President Moncef Marzouqi, in a meeting on the sidelines of the third Arab-Afro Summit in Kuwait, expressed the hope that the mutual cooperation between the two friendly nations would increase in various fields. They regretted that trade between Iran and Tunisia failed to keep up with the extensive capacities of both countries, calling for a joint specialized economic committee to be set up to help boost economic cooperation. In October, Tunisian Transport Minister Abdelkarim Al-Harouni and Iran's Ambassador to Tunisia Peyman Jebelli expressed hope that the relations between the two Muslim countries would witness further expansion in all fields, particularly in the transportation sector. During the meeting in Tunis, Al-Harouni voiced his country's readiness to cooperate with Iranian private and state companies in the fields of air, sea and land transportation. He also termed the recent visit of Tunisian expert maritime transportation delegation to Iran, aimed at participating in the joint technical committee of ports and maritime, as fruitful. Jebelli, for his part, called for expansion of mutual cooperation in various transportation areas between Tehran and Tunis.