TEHRAN - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday appreciated his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif for being the first foreign minister who sent sympathy to the Chinese people since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

"You are the first foreign minister who sent sympathies to the Chinese people since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which fully reflects the profound friendship between the people of the two countries, who support each other and tackle difficulties in a cooperative manner," said Wang in a meeting with Zarif on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Both China and Iran are ancient civilizations with a history of thousands of years, whose forward steps cannot be stopped by any kind of difficulties, Wang said, stressing that China is full of confidence in scoring a full victory in the fight against the epidemic at an early date, Xinhua reported.

Echoing the Chinese foreign minister, Zarif lauded Chinese President Xi Jinping's outstanding leadership in the fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic.

Meanwhile, the solidarity of the Chinese people has also impressed the world, said Zarif.

On behalf of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Zarif conveyed once again sympathies and respect to Xi and the Chinese people, saying that the Iranian government and people will continue to provide China with all necessary support and assistance.

In a tweet in Persian language on Thursday, Chinese Ambassador to Tehran Chang Hua thanked Iranian people for sympathizing with the Chinese in their campaign against coronavirus.

“There is a proverb in the Persian language that says ‘heart speaks to heart’. In China’s struggle against coronavirus we deeply felt the friendship of the government and nation of Iran,” the ambassador said.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang on Friday announced that many foreign ambassadors and representatives to China have said on social media platforms that they stand with China in this fight against the virus. 

He thanked the Iranian ambassador to China, Mohammad Keshavarz-Zadeh, for saying, “I’m sure China, with 5000 years of civilization, will overcome this problem.”