Pres. Rouhani to visit S Africa in few months

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif who is heading a senior delegation of political and economic figures arrived in South African administrative capital city of Pretoria on Sunday.

On Monday, Zarif opened South Africa-Iran Business Forum by delivering a brief speech, voicing Iran’s keen interest in expanding relations with the African country.

During the forum, Zarif stressed that Iran enjoys high level of security for foreign investment.

He then maintained that the lift of anti-Iran sanctions following the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA also known as the 2015 Iran nuclear deal) has made a remarkable contribution to the country’s prospect for developing cooperation with the world.

Zarif also hailed the good opportunity for boosting the level of trade transactions between Iran and South Africa, saying that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is scheduled for a visit to South Africa in the coming months.

Also speaking at the forum was South Africa's Minister of Small Business Development, Lindiwe Zulu, who stressed that doing business with Iran guaranteed full security.

She called for strengthening of banking cooperation between the two sides, adding “South Africa sees no obstacle to expand relations with Iran.”

At the South Africa-Iran business forum, the private sectors of the two countries discussed issues related to economy, trade and commerce and exchanged views on ways to remove obstacles to investment.

Following the forum, Zarif held a bilateral meeting with his South African counterpart and took part in the 13th round of Iran-South Africa Joint Commission’s meeting.

Since the last Joint Commission meeting in Iran in May 2015, a number of high-level interactions between the two countries have occurred, the most recent being the state visit by President Jacob Zuma in April 2016.