TEHRAN Iranian Agriculture Minister Issa Kalantari said in Havana on Monday that political and economic cooperation between Tehran and Havana is growing. Terming outcome of his talks with Cuban officials as successful, Kalantari told Cuban reporters that Iran and Cuba are determined to make optimum use of all their economic facilities to expand cooperation in the areas of genetics engineering, health, agriculture and commerce.

He said that Iranian and Cuban officials had signed agreements to expand mutual cooperation in the fields of education, research, banking and financial affairs and sugar cane. Kalantari said that economic, scientific and technical cooperation between Iran and Cuba has entered a new phase thanks to the will of senior Iranian and Cuban officials. Meanwhile, the minister and President of the State Committee for Economic Cooperation in Cuba for his part expressed satisfaction with outcome of the sixth Iran-Cuba Joint Economic Commission and with memorandum of understanding signed by the two sides in industrial and sugar cane fields.

He said that in light of the agreements the two countries would be capable of intensifying efforts to expand mutual economic cooperation. He expressed hope that agreements would be signed by Iran and Cuba to support foreign investment as well as cooperation in area of plant and animal quarantine. (IRNA)