TEHRAN – Iranian President Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi received on Sunday a copy of credentials of the new ambassadors of Russia, Mali, Venezuela, and Malaysia to Iran. 

Russian Ambassador Alexey Dedov, Malian Ambassador Mohammed Maiga, Malaysian Ambassador Khairi Bin Omar, and Venezuela Ambassador Jose Rafael Silva Aponte all met separately with President Raisi. 

In his meeting with the Russian ambassador, Raisi described Tehran-Moscow relations as strategic and emphasized, "Iran and Russia have good grounds for cooperation in the bilateral, regional and international fields," according to the official website of the Iranian presidency.

 He referred to the increase in diplomatic interactions between the two countries and emphasized the necessity of forming and strengthening strategic economic cooperation between Iran and Russia.

In the meeting with the Venezuelan ambassador, Raisi stated that the relations between the two countries are very close and friendly, adding, "During Mr. Maduro's visit to Tehran, we had constructive discussions that led to fruitful agreements for the development of relations between the two countries".

Expressing hope that effective steps will be taken in the implementation of these agreements during the mission of the new Venezuelan Ambassador, the President added, "The implementation of these understandings can operationalize the diverse capacities of the two countries in the direction of expanding fields of bilateral cooperation".

Raisi stated that the independence-seeking spirit of the Venezuelan people has made them a privileged nation in the region, and stated, "Today's desire of the Americans to be close to Venezuela is not due to friendship, but due to the country's need for energy resources".

Raisi praised the relations with Mali in his meeting with the new Malian ambassador. Raisi said, "After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran has pursued the development of relations with African countries".
While condemning the policy of Western governments towards African countries, Raisi stated that the Westerners did not come to this continent to help, but to colonize and plunder the wealth of African people, adding, "We believe that African countries, with regard to their rich reserves and resources, as well as human resources, will be able to achieve more development and progress through independence without the interference of Westerners".

President Raisi stated that the presence of Westerners in different parts of the world does not bring about security, but also disrupts security, and added, "We hope that the new government of Mali will take great steps towards independence and development with the help of the people of the country".

In the meeting with the new Malaysian ambassador, Raisi stated that the relations between the two Muslim countries of Iran and Malaysia have been on the path of development, especially after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, adding, "The priority of the Iranian government is the development of economic, cultural and political relations with Muslim countries".

Raisi stated that despite the sanctions and threats, the Islamic Republic of Iran has taken great steps towards development and progress, and stated, "Considering the great capacities available in the two countries, we hope that these capacities will lead to the further development of the cooperation between Iran and Malaysia".