TEHRAN – The health minister of Nicaragua plans to sign agreements with her Iranian counterpart during a visit to Tehran, Ambassador to Tehran Isaac Lenin Bravo Jaen, has said.

The Nicaraguan envoy made the remarks in a meeting with Mohammad Hossein Nicknam, the deputy health minister for international affairs.

Referring to a comprehensive document signed by foreign ministers of the two countries in December 2022 to enhance cooperation, he termed bilateral relations very positive and important.

The ambassador announced that four ministers of the Nicaraguan cabinet will travel to Iran, aiming to become familiar with medical industries and sign agreements in the health sector.

Nicknam, for his part, said Iran is ready to provide Nicaragua with its experiences regarding the production of medicine and medical equipment.

On the sidelines of the 77th General Assembly of the UN, Colindres and Amir Abdollahian had a meeting in September in New York.

In a phone call with Daniel Ortega in September 2021, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stressed the importance of tight coordination with Nicaragua and other Latin American governments on the international scene in order to thwart U.S. sanctions against independent nations.

In order to neutralize American sanctions and make it expensive for the U.S. administration to take action against independent states and nations, notably Iran and Nicaragua, close collaboration between the two countries on international scenes is essential, according to the Iranian president.

In August 2022, the Nicaraguan ambassador met Pirhossein Kolivand, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), discussing areas of cooperation.

Measures taken by the IRCS are exemplary in the region and the world, Lenin said, referring to IRCS’s great achievements in recent months.

He announced interest in using the experiences of the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

Fortunately, there are good relations between the two countries, and the cooperation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent of the two countries can be a turning point, he explained.

Committees have been formed between Iran and Nicaragua to enhance cooperation, he noted, adding, "The IRCS’s high capacities are clearly evident and we are interested in using the medical equipment made by the IRCS due to their high quality."

The Iranian Polyclinic in Nicaragua has provided valuable services to people, which shows the empathy between the two nations, and today the people of Iran and Nicaragua have good and brotherly relations with each other, which can be expanded, he emphasized.

Kolivand for his part said that the IRCS can also cooperate with the Nicaraguan Red Cross in the fields of medical equipment, textiles, pharmaceutical production, and food packages.

In June 2022, Nicaragua received 200,000 doses of vaccines against COVID-19 from Iran.

"Thank God, COVIRAN vaccines arrive from the Islamic Republic of Iran this afternoon. We are deeply grateful to continue vaccinating 200,000 people and protecting ourselves," Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo said.

Iran has one of the strongest health systems in the region and this opportunity should be used optimally in the field of health diplomacy, Health Minister Bahram Einoullahi has said.

In June 2021, Ahmed al-Mandhari, the World Health Organization director for Eastern Mediterranean Region, said the Islamic Republic of Iran is a role model for primary health care.

For the past four decades, its PHC network has aimed to ensure that people have timely access to affordable, accessible, and acceptable essential health services, he explained.

MG