VIENNA A senior official at the Iranian Foreign Ministry here Friday stressed improvement of consular services to the Iranians residing abroad and called for greater efforts in preservation of their Islamic-Iranian culture and identity and consolidation of relations with the country.

Addressing a consular seminar sponsored by the Iranian Foreign Ministry in the Austrian capital, Consular Deputy Mohammad-Ali Hadi outlined future plans of the ministry for realization of the said objectives.

Hadi said that contrary to the expatriates of countries such as Turkey and Pakistan who are mainly the inexpensive manpowers, the Iranians residing abroad are mostly educated and elite people who are among wealthy and influential classes.

As an example he cited the case of one million plus Iranians residing in the United States whose educational status is above the U.S. average standard and said that influence of the Iranians is as such that the U.S. presidents seek the votes and financial assistance of the Iranian community in the U.S. in their election campaign.

Pointing to the rise in the number of Iranians leaving for European countries he said over 150,000 Iranians are residing in Canada too.

He said those who leave Iran are the national assets of the country and are a source of pride for their homeland, referring to the case of an Iranian researcher and physician who has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Canada. He further added that an Iranian youth has been recently awarded the first prize of the World Urology Congress in Geneva.

He said that the Consular Section of the Iranian Foreign Ministry is trying to offer rapid and convenient services to the Iranian nationals residing abroad with an aim to preserve their Iranian culture and identity.

(IRNA)