Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (FNA)-An Iranian visiting delegation led by the special envoy of the Iranian president and Director General in charge of West and North Africa in the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Hamid Bayat, met with Sierra Leone’s Vice President Samuel Sam Sumana in Freetown on Friday.
The meeting was aimed at reaffirming the bilateral relationship between the two countries and discussing issues of mutual interest.
At the meeting, Bayat thanked the government and people of Sierra Leone for what he described as “total support for Iran at the international level”.
“The Iranian foreign policy now places premium on its bilateral and multilateral relations with African countries,” he disclosed, and expressed appreciation for the Africa Union’s recognition of Iran as a development partner.
Bayat further reiterated Iran’s continued support for Sierra Leone’s development plan and extended an invitation to President Ernest Bai Koroma to visit Tehran, adding that the visit will mark a turning point in the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Bayat said in due course, Iranian companies will be established in Sierra Leone, adding that they are impressed by the enabling environment prevailing in the business sector.
For his part, Sierra Leon’s Vice President Samuel Sam Sumana expressed appreciation and gratitude to the Iranian government for their immense support over the years, particularly in areas of agriculture, health and technological development.
He acknowledged the rapid development taking place in Iran, and expressed the hope that the Islamic Republic would share its knowledge of development with a struggling nation like Sierra Leone that is in dire need of such development to better the lives of the citizenry.
He assured the envoy of President Koroma’s visit to Iran early next year, adding, “The visit would further strengthen the age-old bilateral relations between the two countries.”
