Iran FM Wraps Up Senegal Visit, Arrives in Brazil

In his Monday meeting with President Macky Sall, which was also attended by Senegal’s ministers of finance and foreign affairs, Zarif touched upon the importance of mutual cooperation in various areas.

He also called for closer banking relations between the two countries, further facilitating the issuance of visas for Iranians, especially businessmen and entrepreneurs, the approval of an agreement on avoidance of double taxation at Senegal’s parliament and the renewal of tax exemption for Iranian companies operating in Senegal.

The top Iranian diplomat also underlined the importance of enhancing cooperation between the two countries in the oil and gas sector as well as new technologies, including nanotechnology and biotechnology.

The Senegalese president, in turn, stressed the importance of addressing the issues highlighted by Zarif, and said his country would like to draw on Iran’s experience in the oil and gas sector.

Also on the agenda of the talks were regional issues, including the developments in Syria and Yemen.

No Military Solution to Syria, Yemen Crises

Zarif on Monday also held a meeting with the Senegalese Parliament Speaker Moustapha Nias. During the talks, the top Iranian diplomat said the Islamic Republic of Iran has, from the outset, believed that the crises in Syria and Yemen have no military solution.

He also underlined that the problems facing the world of Islam should be settled through dialogue.

Zarif further touched upon the numerous commonalities between Iran and Senegal. He called on both sides to work together closely to fight extremism and restore the rights of Palestinian people, especially under the current circumstance in which the Israeli regime has stepped up its atrocities against Palestinians.

The top Senegalese parliamentarian, in turn, referred to his trip to Tehran last year where he saw for himself Iran’s progress in different areas. He said his country needs to draw on Iran’s potential and capabilities for training in different areas.

Zarif, who is on a four-nation tour, left Dakar on Monday night and arrived in the Brazilian capital, where he is going to hold talks with top officials from the Latin American state.

Speaking to reporters after arriving in Brazil, Zarif described the Latin American country as one the world’s major economies, the main economy in South America, and also a BRICS member.

Hailing Iran’s economic interaction with Brazil, Zarif said the trade ties are mostly limited to the import of agricultural products from the Latin American nation, while there are ample opportunities available in the oil and gas industries.

Iran was a supplier of energy to Brazil in the past, and there are still possibilities for cooperation in that field, he added, according to Tasnim.

Praising Brazil’s technological advances, Zarif said the two countries could play complementary roles in that sector.

He also expressed the hope that his meetings in Brazil would enhance cooperation between the private sectors of the two countries.

The four-nation tour will later take Zarif to Uruguay and Namibia.

In this trip, the Iranian top diplomat is being accompanied by a high-ranking politico-economic delegation including several representatives of the Iranian Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology.