TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has sent a congratulatory message to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi congratulating him on the Chinese New Year and Spring Festival. 

In his message, the Iranian foreign minister wished success and prosperity for China’s government and heroic nation, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said. 

“I am glad to have had the opportunity to hold a meeting and constructive talks with you, old friend, in the beautiful city of Wuxi ahead of the Spring Festival,” The message read. 

“I am certain that the agreements reached during the trip will pave the ground for the expansion of comprehensive strategic cooperation between Iran and China in the second 50 years of diplomatic relations,” it added.

In his first visit to China since taking over as Iran’s top diplomat, Amir Abdollahian visited China in mid-January, a move that was hailed as opening new horizons for deepening ties between Tehran and Beijing.

The Iranian foreign minister ushered in such a horizon in an article published in Chinese media ahead of his visit. Amir Abdollahian said the visit “will be a promising new horizon for our promotion and development of cooperation in various domains.”

At the center of this horizon is a strategic comprehensive partnership signed last year between Iran and China. On March 27, 2021, then-Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi signed the plan, raising Tehran-Beijing relations in various fields to a new, strategic level.

The plan, officially known as the “Comprehensive Cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the People's Republic of China,” was extensively hailed by almost all Iranian officials as a “strategic” decision.

In his op-ed for Global Times, Amir Abdollahian said the various cultural and political commonalities between Iran and China have paved the way for the two countries to pursue the development of economic and trade cooperation and implementation of the Comprehensive Cooperation Plan.

“China has been playing a constructive and rational role in the Iran nuclear deal negotiations, especially in the recent talks in Vienna to lift sanctions against our country,” Amir Abdollahian told the CGTN before wrapping up his visit to China.

He said, “During the visit, we reached a consensus on some significant issues, including the implementation of a comprehensive cooperation agreement between the two sides. In order to implement this long-term vision proposed by our leaders for the development of Iran-China relations, both sides need a road map, so we've reached a 25-year, long-term strategic comprehensive cooperation agreement. My visit here is to discuss with my Chinese counterpart Mr. Wang Yi how to implement the plan. We also exchanged views on major international and regional issues. For instance, we still face severe crises in Afghanistan and Yemen.”

He added, “Both sides will benefit from the agreement. It covers cooperation in a number of fields, including trade, agriculture, science and technology, as well as in cultural fields like tourism. It also includes cooperation on regional and international affairs. For instance, mutual support in international organizations. I believe the plan serves the common interests of both sides.”