TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian announced on Monday that Iran and Venezuela plan to sign a 20-year cooperation plan.

Abdollahian broke the story at a joint press conference with his Venezuelan counterpart Félix Plasencia. 

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Plasencia arrived in Tehran on Monday. 
At his meeting with Abdollahian, it was decided to hold a joint economic commission of the two countries in the near future and to finalize a comprehensive plan for 20 years of economic cooperation between the two countries.

The Iranian foreign minister also condemned the U.S. attempt to extradite a high-ranking Venezuelan diplomat on trumped-up charges and stressed Iran’s support for the Venezuelan government.

During the briefing, Abdollahian said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will visit Tehran in the coming months, and the 20-year cooperation document will be signed during the visit.

The Venezuelan foreign minister also called the relations between Iran and his country strategic, saying, “Iran is a strategic friend of the government, the people and the president of Venezuela.”

Iranian President Ayatollah Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi also met with Venezuelan foreign minister on Monday afternoon.

During the meeting, Raisi said that Iran’s foreign policy is to expand relations with Latin American countries, especially Venezuela. 

He then went on to say that Venezuela is one of Iran’s top priorities in economic diplomacy. 

“In this government, we are determined to put aside the problems created by the enemies and continue the path of the country's progress,” the president added.

Emphasizing the need to expand Tehran-Caracas relations in various fields, Raisi said that in order to develop bilateral relations, a clear and long-term plan should be designed so that the perspective of relations moves towards maximum strengthening of ties.

The president praised Venezuela's cooperation with Iran in international forums, adding, “With the long-term cooperation program between the two countries, there is a clear vision for expanding and deepening relations.”

Expressing the importance of the Venezuelan government in Iran's foreign policy, Raisi expressed hope that with the visit of the Venezuelan president to Tehran in the near future, new steps will be taken for long-term cooperation between the two countries.

For his part, Plasencia described Iran and Venezuela as two friendly countries and said that the two countries are united against imperialism and those who want to harm the independence of the two sides.

The Venezuelan foreign minister named Iran as an important and influential country in the region and said, “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, along with Iran, is committed to defending multilateralism and countering U.S. intervention.”

Emphasizing the need to expand relations between the two countries, Plasencia said that developing a long-term relations plan between the two countries can be effective in achieving this goal, and “Venezuela is ready to develop relations in all fields with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

SA/PA