TEHRAN - Early on Monday, President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran started a tour of three Latin American nations of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba.

Prior to embarking on his five-day tour, Raisi gave a brief interview in which he said due to shared perspectives on important global issues, Iran’s ties with these three nations have been constantly friendly over the past years.

The three Latin American nations of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba are considered as like-minded nations that in the words of Raisi dislike unilateralism and the hegemonic system.

The president first arrived in Caracas, Venezuela. After completing his visit to Venezuela, Raisi will head to Nicaragua and then Cuba.

Raisi said that Iran works closely with the three nations in a number of sectors.

“Export of technical and engineering manpower is among our important cooperation areas,” Raisi noted, adding, “We also cooperate with Latin American countries in the fields of politics, energy, science and technology, medicine and economy.”

He said that the trip will mark a turning point in the development of Tehran’s relations with Caracas, Managua, and Havana, maintaining that the presidents of the three nations had presented him invitations. 

Maximizing the opportunities for cooperation between Iran and the three Latin American nations might result in further development of their “strategic relations,” the president noted. 

In less than two years that he has been elected president, Raisi has traveled abroad 13 times.

Raeisi is touring Latin America with a high-level delegation that includes the ministers of foreign affairs, oil, defense, and health.

A number of cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding will be inked between Iranian officials and their counterparts during his tour to the three countries.

During his visit, he is scheduled to hold talks with a number of Iranian entrepreneurs and economic actors working in the three countries. 

Iran has close links with numerous Latin American countries in various fields and strives to strengthen such ties.

In February, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian paid an official visit to Nicaragua and Venezuela in Latin America.

During Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s visit to Tehran in June of last year, Iran and Venezuela inked a 20-year partnership pact intended to strengthen bilateral cooperation in a number of sectors.

Cooperation in the areas of research, technology, agriculture, oil and gas, petrochemicals, tourism, and culture is covered under the partnership agreement.