Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the Islamic Republic and Ivory Coast must strengthen their cooperation in the campaign against terrorism.
In a meeting with Ivory Coast's Foreign Minister Abdallah Toikeusse Mabri in Tehran on Sunday, Zarif said the two countries can fight the ideological roots of terrorism and exchange theoretical, practical and educational experience in this regard.
He also called for the continuation of cooperation between Tehran and Yamoussoukro in international bodies on the fight against drug trafficking.
Mabri, who is visiting Tehran at the official invitation of his Iranian counterpart, lauded last year’s nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries and said it was an achievement both for the Muslim states and Ivory Coast.
Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia – plus Germany reached the nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015.
Under the JCPOA, which took effect in January, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related bans imposed against Tehran.
Mabri added that Iran is a major power in different fields, particularly in politics and economy, and expressed hope that the two countries’ joint economic committee meeting would be held in Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast, in the first quarter of 2017.
He said Iran can become a key partner for Ivory Coast in the energy sector and added that the two countries have the potential to improve cooperation in technical training, science and education, banking, agriculture, human rights, and the fight against terrorism, narcotics and other crimes.