TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held a telephone conversation with his Nicaraguan counterpart Denis Moncada Colindres to discuss bilateral relations.

Zarif held the conversation while visiting Bolivia, where he met with President-elect Luis Arce and Vice President-elect David Choquehuanca.

“During the phone talk, Zarif highlighted cordial relations between the two countries, expressing hope he will travel to Nicaragua in the near future. The top Nicaraguan diplomat, in turn, welcomed Iranian officials visiting his country. He also called for the enhancement of reciprocal ties,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday morning.

Zarif embarked on a regional tour last week that included three Latin American countries – Cuba, Venezuela, and Bolivia. During the tour, which lasted several days, the chief Iranian diplomat held high-level talks with the leaders of these countries.

In Caracas, Zarif met with Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza.  The Iranian foreign minister also traveled to Cuba, where he held videoconference talks with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

“Just met with President-elect Luis Arce and Vice President-elect David Choquehuanca of Bolivia. Conveyed my country’s congratulations on their victory and wished them and the nation the best. We discussed our brotherly ties—political and economic—and ways to expand them,” Zarif said in a tweet after meeting with the Bolivian officials.

Iran enjoys good relations with many Latin American countries. During Zarif’s visit, President Maduro described Iran-Venezuela relations as strategic.

“Today 5 November, I had the pleasure of receiving the visit of the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif. A visit that underlines the unwavering spirit of the strategic relations of cooperation and solidarity between Iran and Venezuela,” the Venezuelan president said in a tweet, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA).
 
SM/PA