TEHRAN – A senior Slovak diplomat met on Tuesday afternoon with Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Hossein Abdollahian a day after meeting her Iranian counterpart and an economic assistant to the top Iranian diplomat. 

Ingrid Brockova, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Slovak Republic, has traveled to Tehran to attend a political consultation meeting with the deputy foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Brockova and Amir Abdollahian held talks over issues of mutual interest, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. 

In the meeting, Amir Abdollahian said he’s satisfied with the results of political consultations between the Iranian and Slovak deputy foreign ministries. He also announced Iran’s readiness to deepen political and economic cooperation with Bratislava at the bilateral level and in international organizations.

The foreign minister said a plan to hold a joint economic commission meeting is a good opportunity for talks over new trade and economic areas. 

Amir Abdollahian also pointed to the current developments in the region, reiterating the Islamic Republic’s principled stance and its opposition to war and harming civilians.

The top Iranian diplomat said, "Unfortunately, in our region, including in Afghanistan, Palestine and Yemen, we witness heart-wrenching scenes of harm to ordinary people, women and kids.” 

It is necessary that international and European institutions and organizations adopt a proper approach and pay more attention to this issue, Amir Abdollahian pointed out. 

Slovakia’s deputy foreign minister, for her part, expressed satisfaction with political consultations between the two countries. Brockova underscored the significance of strengthening political and economic relations between Iran and Slovakia.

Brockova also held talks with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Mahdi Safari on Monday to exchange views on how to invigorate economic cooperation between the two countries.

Safari, a career diplomat, touched on Iran’s potential in the fields of energy, petrochemicals, pharmaceutical and food industries as well as new and knowledge-based technologies, expressing readiness for cooperation with the Slovak side.

Safari said the field of pharmaceutical and medical industries, including production of coronavirus vaccines, is another area where the two sides can cooperate.

Brockova also expressed pleasure at her Iranian visit, expressing hope that holding a joint economic commission meeting between the two countries will be a major step in the expansion of trade cooperation.

In his meeting with the Slovak diplomat on Monday, Bagheri Kani also said the global situation has made energy and food security a priority for many countries more than ever before. Therefore, Bagheri Kani suggested that efforts should be made to make global concern about "food security" and "energy security", which are two strategic pillars of national security of all countries, an opportunity for interaction, cooperation and even solidarity on the world stage. 

In this way all nations can have a secure and clear vision for the future, he opined.

Bagheri noted that today every country, including Europeans, acknowledges the correct approach and vision of Iran over the past decade or two in trying to resolve crises in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.

The Iranian deputy foreign minister said the costs of the failure of the policies of the United States and some European governments in the region are not only borne by these governments, but it’s the people of those countries who have suffered the greatest costs and damages resulting from the implementation of wrong policies.

He also pointed to Iran’s regard for human rights, saying, “The dimensions and consequences of meeting the basic needs of the Afghan people, as well as the resulting issues, especially the phenomenon of Afghan refugees, place specific responsibilities on all governments that claim to be protecting human rights, especially the Europeans.”

He also emphasized that Tehran is seeking to develop relations with European countries, especially Eastern European countries. 

It is necessary to remove obstacles to the development of relations, the Iranian deputy foreign minister said, adding the joint economic committee meeting of the two countries that will be held next week will pave the way for expanding bilateral relations.

During the meeting, Brockova also said Bratislava views Iran as an important partner to develop bilateral and regional relations with. She also called for regular consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries on bilateral, regional and international issues.

Such an approach can help expand bilateral and European trade and economic relations with Iran and help strengthen people-to-people interactions, she remarked.