Iranian speaker underscores expansion of economic ties with Serbia, Croatia

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani who left for Belgrade on Sunday morning underlined Tehran's enthusiasm for the further development of economic relations with Serbia and Croatia. "In the visit to Serbia, I will have meetings with the high-ranking Serbian officials on the development of relations between the two countries," Larijani said before his departure from Tehran earlier today. "Discussions and talks on regional and international conditions as well as development in economic and political relations are on our agenda during the visit to Serbia," he added. He expressed displeasure in the current level of the trade ties between Iran and the two countries of Serbia and Croatia, and said, "We hope that the grounds will be provided for the expansion of trade ties in this trip." The Iranian parliament speaker will first travel to Serbia and Croatia for two days and will then go to Switzerland on a three-day visit to participate in the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Iran and Serbia have in recent years made great efforts to further develop their bilateral relations and mutual cooperation in all fields. Early this summer, Iranian and Serbian officials in a meeting in Belgrade explored avenues for bolstering and consolidating bilateral ties, specially in academic fields. During the meeting in the Serbian capital in July, Iranian Cultural Attaché to Serbia Mahmoud Shalouei and Vice-Chancellor of Belgrade University Dalibor Soldatic underlined the need for the further expansion of bilateral ties between the two countries’ universities. Soldatic pointed to Iran’s rich culture and civilization, expressing willingness to establish Persian language course at the University of Belgrade. He referred to expert meetings between the two countries' professors in Belgrade, calling for formation of expert committees for speedy implementation of already reached agreements. Shalouei, for his part, voiced Iran’s readiness to help establish Iran Bureau at the University of Belgrade, saying as soon as a suitable place is allocated, Iran will immediately help in this regard.