TEHRAN —
Iran and
Venezuela signed a 20-year deal on cooperation between the two allies
subject to US sanctions during a visit Saturday to the Islamic republic by
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
اضافة اعلان
The inking of the agreement “shows the determination
of the high-level officials of the two countries for development of relations
in different fields,”
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said.
Maduro, speaking at a joint news conference in
Tehran, said the cooperation covered the energy and financial sectors as well
as “work together on defense projects”.
Alongside the likes of Russia,
China, Cuba, and
Turkey, Iran is one of Venezuela’s main allies. And like Venezuela it is
subject to tough US sanctions.
“Venezuela has passed hard years but the
determination of the people, the officials and the president of the country was
that they should resist the sanctions,” Raisi said during the news conference.
“This is a good sign that proves to everyone that
resistance will work and will force the enemy to retreat,” the Iranian
president added.
In addition to the 20-year accord inked by the two
countries’ foreign ministers, “Iran and Venezuela signed documents on
cooperation in the political, cultural, tourism, economic, oil and
petrochemical fields,” state news agency IRNA said.
“We have important projects of cooperation between
Iran and Venezuela in the fields of energy, petrochemical, oil, gas and
refineries,” Maduro said.
Direct flights
From July 18, direct flights
would operate between Caracas and
Tehran “in order to promote tourism and the
union between our countries,” he said, adding that “Venezuela is open to
receive tourists from Iran.”
Iran’s president said direct flights would pave the
way for enhanced “trade and economic relations as well as bringing the two
nations closer together”.
The two presidents took part via videoconference in
a ceremony marking the delivery of the second of four Iranian-built oil tankers
to Venezuela, IRNA reported.
Ties between the two oil producers were strong under
late Venezuelan socialist leader Hugo Chavez and have been further bolstered
under his successor Maduro.
In May, Iran’s Oil Minister
Javad Owji met with
Maduro during an official visit to Venezuela, which sits on the world’s largest
proven crude reserves.
Owji also held talks with his Venezuelan counterpart
Tareck El Aissami on how best to cope with US economic sanctions.
The oil minister’s trip to Venezuela came just weeks
after a surprise visit by US officials following the sharp rise in world oil
prices triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
The US delegation even held a hushed meeting with
Maduro, whose very legitimacy as president Washington disputes.
Iran is a major oil producer and said in April that
its output capacity was back to the levels seen before the reimposition of
US sanctions by president Donald Trump in 2018.
In 2020, Venezuela received two shiploads of fuel
and derivatives from Iran to help address chronic domestic shortages.
Iran is the third country Maduro has visited this
week after trips to Turkey and Algeria.
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