Iran strives for bilateral ties rooted in mutual respect with African nations: Raeisi

Iran's President Ebrahim Raeisi says Tehran seeks to have relations with African countries based on mutual respect and benefit, despite Western states that only want to plunder Africa's natural resources and wealth.

Raeisi made the remarks in a Thursday meeting with his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall on the sidelines of the 15th meeting of the BRICS group of emerging economies in South Africa’s largest city of Johannesburg.

“Unlike Western countries, which are only looking to loot the resources and wealth of African countries, Iran is looking for a relationship based on respect and mutual benefits,” Raeisi said.

He also voiced Iran’s readiness to share its knowledge, expertise, achievements and capabilities in technology, engineering, science and industry with Senegal.

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For his part, Sall lauded BRICS's invitation of Iran to join the grouping, stating that the country’s presence in the bloc will help balance the international system and form a multipolar world.

“Western countries, as the main violators of human rights, seek to put pressure on independent countries under the guise of defending human rights,” the Senegalese president said.

The countries that have for centuries practiced slavery on a large scale and have dark colonial records, and even nowadays continue such policies in other forms have no right to claim to be advocates of human rights, Sall highlighted.

Conveying his eagerness for greater involvement of Iranian companies and entrepreneurs in Senegal, he emphasized that the West African nation seeks to leverage Iran's expertise and foster expanded collaboration in the fields of energy and science.

‘Iran ready to provide technical, engineering services to Tanzania’

Separately, President Raeisi announced the Islamic Republic of Iran’s readiness to cooperate with Tanzania in the fields of technology, engineering, construction of dams and power plants, agriculture and industry.

During a meeting with his Tanzanian counterpart Samia Suluhu Hassan, the Iranian president welcomed the expansion of bilateral ties between Tehran and Dodoma, and stressed the need for activation of the joint economic cooperation between the two countries as well as plans to improve the level of economic and cultural relations.

Hassan, for her part, welcomed the activation of the joint economic commission, stating that Iran and Tanzania have amicable political and diplomatic relations, and their trade ties should grow in proportion to such relations.

President Raeisi also held separate talks with his counterparts from India, Bangladesh, and Brazil during his stay in South Africa before leaving for Tehran early on Friday. 

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