Iran Press/ Commentary: Bilateral meetings with the Presidents of Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, signing cooperation documents, and also holding meetings with business people, business activists, and economic officials of Iran and the host countries are part of the plans of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi during his visit to the three African countries.
Raisi, who has made 15 foreign trips as President of Iran, is considered the first President of Iran to visit Africa after 11 years.
On March 15, 2023, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasized Tehran's readiness to comprehensively expand cooperation with African countries in a meeting with the participants of the first economic cooperation summit between the Islamic Republic of Iran and West African countries.
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After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, despite economic sanctions, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always followed the development of relations with African countries due to political and cultural commonalities. The 13th government of Iran, headed by Ebrahim Raisi, also pays serious attention to expanding ties with African countries in line with a comprehensive, balanced foreign policy based on economic multilateralism. In this regard, in August 2022, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-abdollahian traveled to the Republic of Mali and from there to Tanzania and Zanzibar and talked with the officials of these African countries about ways to expand cooperation.
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With this approach of the 13th government, the non-oil export development program and expansion of trade relations with Africa boosted, and in the past year and a half, more than fifty official delegations from Africa have traveled to Iran, and various contracts have been concluded.
Despite this, the trade volume between Iran and African countries is growing but far from the target of 10 billion dollars. Currently, Africa's imports have been declared to be nearly 600 billion dollars, but Iran's share of this amount does not reach 2 billion dollars; meanwhile, the fields of cooperation and increasing trade relations between Iran and Africa, especially in the fields of energy, technical-engineering, transportation, agriculture, and mining, are significant and will be achievable by removing the current obstacles.
Alireza Peyman Pak", the head of Iran's Trade Promotion Organization (TPO), said in this regard: "The establishment of regular shipping lines, providing infrastructure, increasing clearance and signing an agreement to reduce trade tariffs, can have a significant impact on the increase of trade between Iran and the African continent."
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In addition to the economic importance of Iran's relations with the African continent, in terms of politics and culture, the development of relations with the countries of this continent is also essential for the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was subjected to sanctions and political pressure from the West; 50 of the 54 countries of this continent are members of the Non-Aligned Movement, some of which are under sanctions; also, there are 30 Islamic countries in this continent, and about 50% of its population are Muslims.
It is clear that Iran's deeper investment and participation in Africa not only has economic benefits for both sides, but it will also increase the credibility and political and cultural influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran on this continent; for this reason, the upcoming visit of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the three African countries of Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe can promise a new momentum in relations and expansion of ties, especially in the economic and commercial spheres of Iran and Africa.
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Iran's President plans for an official tour to Africa to develop ties
