In a move that highlights the growing strategic relationship between Iran y Venezuelabrigadier general and pilot Aziz Nasirzadeh, Iranian Defense Minister, travel to Caracas to participate in the tenth meeting of the High-Level Joint Commission between both countries.
According to public relations of the Iranian Ministry of Defense, Nasirzadeh heads a high-level delegation aimed at consolidating previous agreements and exploring new areas of economic collaboration between Caracas and Tehran.
The regimes of Venezuela and Iran review about 80 agreements in force and they are studying the signing of a new dozen mechanisms within the framework of said commission, whose tenth summit began on Monday and will last until this Wednesday.
Yván Gil, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Chavista regime, recalled that Caracas and Tehran have signed 298 agreements, of which, 80 – signed in the last two years – are under review by the commission to give them continuity in areas such as science, technology, culture, education and health.
In statements to reporters on Monday, broadcast on the television network GlobovisionGil also anticipated that the Iranian Minister of Petroleum, Mohsen Paknejad, will visit Venezuela and participate in these meetings to close agreements on energy, financial and industrial matterswhich will be announced “during the week”, without specifying the day.
“Venezuela is proud to have a partner, a brother, a friend like Iran to navigate such a complex world”Gil stressed, after ensuring that “the progress is quite good” for the signing of new agreements.
For his part, the Chavista Minister of Transportation, Ramón Velásquez Araguayán, explained that the objective of these meetings is to “find solutions to all the obstacles” and opt for greater speed of compliance with the agreements signed.
He also said that the interconnection of the banking entities of Venezuela and Iran is being negotiated“where banks are interconnected and facilitate payments”, a modality that already exists with Russia and which is, in the opinion of the minister, “a very important contribution to the growth of commercial exchange.”
Ramón Velásquez Araguayán reiterated that one of the objectives of these alliances – among which he mentioned agreements in the automotive and telecommunications area– is to generate exports to Latin America and the Caribbean, while maintaining their “fight against imperialism”alluding to the United States, which has imposed financial sanctions on both countries.
In recent years, the relationship between Iran and Venezuela has deepened amid a context of international isolation for both countries. While Tehran faces sanctions for its nuclear program and its support for non-state actors in the Middle East, the Chavista regime led by Nicolás Maduro deals with an economy in crisis and restrictions imposed by the United States government for human rights violations.
Iran and Venezuela have strengthened their cooperation in multiple areas in recent years. From sending Iranian fuel to Caracas to alleviate gasoline shortages to collaborating on infrastructure projects, the relationship has become a model of mutual resistance in the face of international sanctions.
(With information from EFE)
