@BrunoRguezP

Havana, November 6 (RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Yavad Zarif ratified on Friday the willingness to deepen the relations between their countries.

During talks in Havana,  the head of the island's diplomacy assured that Zarif's presence in Cuba is a momentous occasion to deepen the high-level political dialogue and the economic, commercial, cooperation, cultural, scientific, and academic links.

Likewise, he thanked the Islamic nation's invariable position against the economic, commercial, and financial blockade exercised by the United States against Cuba.

Rodriguez also defended the Persian country's right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and condemned the unilateral coercive measures imposed by Washington on Iran.

Zarif, who arrived on the island on a working visit on Thursday, stressed Cuba's 'magnificent success' in the confrontation of Covid-19, with the support of the people, the government, and the health personnel.

Likewise, he highlighted that in addition to watching over its inhabitants' health, the Caribbean country has contributed to the world in the fight against the pandemic.

"We are here to see how to expand cooperation and deepen exchanges in energy, science, and technology," he said.

He said that Cuba and Iran are together in these 'difficult times,' especially in the face of pressure from the White House, and he was grateful for the support provided from the island.

Zarif, who officially visited the capital in 2016, said that it is a "great pleasure to be back in Havana" and praised the Cuban people and government's hospitality.

The Iranian Foreign Minister is on a Latin America tour that began in Venezuela, where he was received by President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas.

As part of his Cuba program, Zarif met with the Ministry of Public Health directors and the biotechnology industry and will have meetings with other authorities.

He also plans to participate on November 8 in the inauguration of Bolivia's President-elect, Luis Arce, who won the recent elections with more than 50 percent of the votes.

Havana and Tehran re-established diplomatic relations on August 8, 1979, and the island became one of the first countries to recognize the Islamic Republic.