Iranian FM Zarif Starts Tour of African Countries

Here is IFP’s translation of media reports about Zarif’s tour of Africa:

Heading a political and economic delegation, Zarif left Tehran for Abuja on Sunday morning, July 24.

During his Africa tour, he is going to visit Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea (Conakry), and Mali and meet and confer with the high-ranking officials of these countries.

He is also planned to take part in meetings with economic activists and businessmen in these four countries.

The Iranian top diplomat will return to Iran on Friday, July 29.

This is the third visit of Zarif to African countries. Zarif’s first tour of Africa was before the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers in winter 2014. He visited Kenya, Ugandan, Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Burundi in eastern Africa at that time.

Also in summer 2015, Zarif visited Tunisia and Algeria in northern Africa, Daneshju reported.

Earlier on July 23, Hossein Molla-Abdollahi, the Director-General of Africa Department at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, underlined the importance of Zarif’s upcoming visit to Africa, and stressed that the positive atmosphere created after the nuclear deal makes the visit different from the previous one.

“The visit is of a special importance, because it is made in a positive and different atmosphere compared with the ones made before the nuclear deal,” Molla-Abdollahi said in an interview with ISNA, which was translated by IFP.

“JCPOA has provided Iran with good opportunities to increase its interaction with different countries and promote mutual cooperation.”

“African countries are no exception, and we need to tap into the numerous opportunities created by the JCPOA for the country’s foreign policies quickly and accurately,” he went on to say.