TEHRAN- President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday reiterated the Islamic Republic's objective to foster relations with nations in Latin America, particularly Venezuela.

At a meeting with Ramon Velasquez, the Venezuelan president's special representative and minister of transportation, Raisi stated that Tehran-Caracas relations are fast developing and that Iran has been a friend of Venezuela in its hard times.

Emphasizing the necessity of increasing the level of collaboration between Iran and Latin American states, given the variety of capacities available, Raisi said Iran is serious in its policy to strengthen trade and economic connections with friendly countries.

“We are ready to expand relations with Venezuela in all areas, especially in trade, energy, technology, science and defense,” the Iranian president remarked.

For his part, Velasquez expressed delight with the deepening connections between Iran and Venezuela, highlighting the efforts made by Caracas to boost political, economic, and commercial cooperation with Tehran.

The Venezuelan official also made mention of Iran's scientific and engineering prowess and called for further cooperation between the two nations in this area.

At the meeting, Velasquez also gave the Iranian president a message from Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela.

Raisi and Maduro presided over the signing of a 20-year collaboration agreement in Tehran in June, in the presence of senior officials from the two countries, with the goal of fostering cooperation between Tehran and Caracas in a variety of fields.

Cooperation in the areas of research, technology, agriculture, oil and gas, petrochemicals, tourism, and culture were all included in the collaboration agreement.

Maduro praised the 20-year collaboration deal, saying the two parties will be able to strengthen their relationship and create a clear plan for the coming two decades.

On July 18, the president of Venezuela announced that launch of direct flights between Caracas and Tehran, highlighting the positive impact on tourism.