Iranian envoy, Mozambican president discuss bilateral relations

Iran's new Accredited Ambassador to Maputo Mohammad Faraji in a meeting with Mozambique's President Armando Emilio Guebuza explored avenues for the further expansion of Tehran's relations with the African state. During the meeting in the Mozambican capital of Maputo on Wednesday, Faraji submitted his credentials to President Guebuza and stressed that Iran is ready to utilize different potentials for enhancement of bilateral ties. "Expansion of relations with African countries is strategic for Iran," he stated. Faraji pointed to Iran's role in resolving some of the African conflicts, including the Somalia conflict, and noted that Tehran is prepared to transfer its experiences to African states, including Mozambique. President Guebuza, for his part, welcomed development of mutual cooperation with Iran in different fields, and underlined strengthening of ties between the two countries. Faraji also conferred with Mozambican deputy foreign minister on Mutual interests as well as latest regional and international issues earlier on Wednesday. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration has striven hard to maximize relations with the African continent. Iran is also an observing member of the AU and has shown an active presence in previous AU summit meetings. The country is considered as one of the AU's strategic partners along with India, Japan, China, several South American states and Turkey, while Tehran is also believed to be prioritizing promotion of its economic and political ties with the African states.