Iran’s Zarif to Attend UN General Assembly in September: Deputy FM

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will travel to New York to take part in the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in mid-September, his deputy announced.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for American and European Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi on Wednesday said that according to schedule, the foreign minister will pay a trip to New York in coming days to participate in the UN General Assembly and hold talks with his counterparts from other countries.

As for President Hassan Rouhani’s possible trip to New York to attend the annual event, Takht Ravanchi said it has not been determined yet and will be decided on later.

The 71st Regular Session of the UN General Assembly will begin at the UN headquarters on Tuesday, September 13, 2016.

Takht Ravanchi further pointed to Zarif’s recent tour of Latin America and noted that members of a large economic delegation accompanying the top diplomat during his visits held talks with their counterparts from the Latin American countries on enhancement of cooperation.

He went on to describe the tour as fruitful.

Heading a 120-strong delegation of business people and economic officials, Zarif visited Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia and Venezuela in the recent tour.

His trip to Chile marked the first-ever visit to the South American nation by an Iranian foreign minister.

According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, the tour of Latin America was part of Tehran’s plans to boost non-oil exports.

Fatemeh Askarieh

Fatemeh Askarieh is an Iranian journalist working on a range of fields including culture, art, lifestyle, cultural heritage, and tourism. She has been working with the Iran Front Page (IFP) Media Group for 10 years, and is currently the head of the Art and Lifestyle Department.