TEHRAN - Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has congratulated the newly-elected President of the National Assembly of Venezuela Diosdado Cabello on his parliamentary success.

In a message to Cabello, Ghalibaf said, “I would like to sincerely express my best congratulations on the occasion of successfully holding the parliamentary election of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”

The speaker said the strategic policy of Iran and Venezuela is to protect independence and counter the domineering measures of the United States and its cruel sanctions. He underlined the important role of parliamentary ties in boosting the friendly relations between Tehran and Caracas.

Ghalibaf also expressed hope that bilateral cooperation in different fields would be expanded more than ever by using parliamentary diplomacy and the potential capabilities of the two countries.

Iran-Venezuela relations have deepened in recent months. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has paid a visit to the Latin American country. In early November, the chief Iranian diplomat began a regional tour that included three Latin American countries. In Venezuela, Zarif met with President Nicholas Maduro, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, and Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.

During and after the visit, top Venezuelan officials hailed the strategic relations between Iran and Venezuela.

“Today 5 November, I had the pleasure of receiving the visit of the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif. A visit that underlines the unwavering spirit of the strategic relations of cooperation and solidarity between Iran and Venezuela,” the Venezuelan president said in a tweet after meeting Zarif.

In late November, the Venezuelan foreign minister said that his country is going to boost the strategic relations with Iran.

“Considering the dimensions of the two countries' development, Iran and Venezuela are two powers that, despite this geographical distance, have more in common than can be imagined,” Arreaza told Iran’s state news agency IRNA.

Referring to Zarif’s recent tour to Caracas and also the export of Iranian oil to Venezuela, the top Venezuelan diplomat said despite U.S. cruel sanctions and the limitations caused by COVID-19 in the world, exchange of political delegations, trade interactions, and strategic cooperation between two countries have not been affected.

Arreaza added, “I believe that Iran and Venezuela have become a clear example of how we can unite despite all the problems and aggression, and this is what has led to the development of our bilateral relations in recent years and will grow much more.”

According to the chief Venezuelan diplomat, the Venezuelan and Iranian delegations are meeting uninterruptedly, even in the difficult circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic in order to increase cooperation and focus on priority areas.

On the other hand, Iran hailed Venezuela as a partner of Iran.

“Cuba and Venezuela are among the political partners of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Latin American region, which have long had extensive political cooperation in bilateral, regional and international sectors,” said Saeed Khatibzadeh, the spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, adding, “Venezuela is one of our country’s main destinations for the export of technical and engineering services, and the Iranian private sector has implemented or is implementing various projects in this country.”

SM/PA