TEHRAN – Iranian President Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raisi has spoken over the phone with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro. They discussed the development of relations between Tehran and Caracas.

The telephone conversation took place on Saturday night. During the conversation, the Iranian president called the relations strategic and said, “The current relations between the two countries should be increased in the new Iranian government's term.”

Referring to the high capacity of Iran and Venezuela, the president said, “Development of relations between Tehran and Caracas is a necessity, especially in trade and economic fields,” according to the official website of the Iranian presidency.

Emphasizing the desire for independence-seeking of the Venezuelan people and government against the domineering powers, Ayatollah Raisi said, “The reason for the sanctions imposed by the domineering powers and the United States on the Venezuelan people and government is their independence and freedom.”

Ayatollah Raisi stated, “This telephone conversation can be a turning point for the development of relations and increase trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.”

Congratulating the successful holding of the elections in Venezuela, the president said, “Your success in holding the elections shows the authority of the Venezuelan government.”

Referring to the position of Iran and Venezuela in the OPEC, Ayatollah Raisi said, “Oil cooperation between the two countries should take a new form and we need to take greater steps in the field of refining and petrochemical resources.”

Referring to the agreements between Iran and Venezuela, the president said, “These agreements must be fully implemented and the ground must be prepared for new agreements.”

“Despite the threats and attacks imposed on us by imperialism, we have been able to defend internal peace through the efforts of our people,” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said in the telephone call, referring to elections in Venezuela.

Emphasizing the need to create new dynamism in the economic relations between the two countries, the Venezuelan president referred to the good results of the meetings of the joint commissions between the two countries and said, “We must work for OPEC to achieve lasting stability in the oil market.”

“There is a lot of joint work between Iran and Venezuela, and I am very optimistic that with the help of joint commissions we can conclude new agreements,” the Venezuelan president said.

The Iranian president had busy days receiving foreign phone calls and delegations over the past few days. He received United Arab Emirates National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed and Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad on Monday.

During his meeting with the Syria foreign minister, Raisi considered the Iran-Syria relations strategic and insisted on strengthening the strong foundations of the relations between the two countries, especially in the economic and trade fields.

He said, “Today, long-term and comprehensive planning must be done to develop and deepen the relations between Tehran and Damascus, and based on that, we must take steps to ensure the interests of our nations, especially in the economic sector.”