MNA � African Union (AU) officials, at a meeting with Iranian Foreign Ministry�s Director General for African Affairs Mehdi Aghajafari, welcomed development of cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran.


On Monday, Aghajafari met and talked with authorities of the African Union at its headquarters situated in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

At separate meetings with deputy chairperson of African Union and three commissioners for science and technology, social affairs as well as agriculture and rural economy, both sides mulled over venues for expanding relations and cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the African Union.

The African Union officials at the meeting, while welcoming continuous development of cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran, emphasized AU�s readiness to strengthen bilateral relations.

Last year, three commissioners for peace and security, social affairs and science and technology of the African Union separately visited Iran and signed three memoranda of understanding with the Iranian parties.

While in Ethiopia, Aghajafari held also met with the Ethiopian Minister for Mines, Petroleum and Natural Gas Motuma Mekassa as well as with Ambassador Suleiman Dedefo, Director General of Middle East Affairs at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the session of Ethiopia�s Mekassa, the two sides sought venues for expanding relations and cooperation between the two countries in the field of exploration and exploitation of oil and gas, petrochemical industries in addition to geological and mining studies.

The Ethiopian petroleum minister, referring to capabilities and developments of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the field of energy, called for active participation of Iranian companies to participate in Ethiopian projects in oil, gas and petrochemical fields.

In a meeting with Ethiopian Foreign Ministry Director General for Foreign Affairs Suleiman Dedefo, Iran�s Aghajafari discussed ways to develop and consolidate relations between the two sides in a wide range of sectors.

In the course of the meeting, the two parties, while negotiating and discussing the latest developments in the Middle East and North and East Africa, agreed to establish a joint committee of political consultations between the Iranian and Ethiopian foreign ministries and to finalize and sign a relevant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the near future.

Iranian Foreign Ministry�s Director General for African Affairs Mehdi Aghajafari, who had previously visited Uganda and Burundi, arrived in Ethiopia at the last leg of his visit to East Africa.