President Ahmadinejad to go on tour of Africa in days

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is slated to start a tri-nation tour of Africa on April 15.During the African tour, which will be his last as Iran's President, Ahmadinejad will visit Ghana, Niger and Benin.According to his itinerary, President Ahmadinejad plans to visit Niger on the first leg of his tour and will then go to Ghana and Benin.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.In February, Ahmadinejad underlined Tehran's determination to further boost mutual cooperation with African states, including Niger.He made the remarks in a meeting with Niger's Foreign Minister Mohamed Bazoum in Tehran at the time.President Ahmadinejad pointed to the common beliefs and views of Iran and Niger, and said, "The two countries have abundant talents and potentials which they can jointly utilize to facilitate each others' progress."The Iranian president noted that Iran and Niger are two friendly and brotherly countries and there is no obstacle to the expansion of their relations.