President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Iran’s Vice President that Nigeria is ready to strengthen existing ties with the Islamic Republic.
President Buhari made the remarks during a courtesy call on him by Iran’s Vice President, Mohsen Mansouri, on the sidelines of the United Nations Summit in Doha, Qatar’s capital city.
According to the President, “I have interacted with Iranians over many years especially when I was the Petroleum Minister and understand the country and its people.
“I, therefore, welcome the strengthening of relations between our countries, as we have complementarities, especially in energy production.”
The President also informed his guest about the recent Nigerian election and the fact that a new President would take over in less than three months, adding that he hoped that the strong relations he had built between the two countries would continue in the new administration.
The Iranian Vice President expressed his pleasure at meeting with Nigeria’s President, emphasizing that the two countries, with their abundant human and natural resources and resulting wealth, must collaborate in other areas such as agriculture.
With Iran currently facing international sanctions over nuclear and other issues, Mr Mansouri emphasized the importance of the two countries pushing for multilateralism to be the order of the day and avoiding a unipolar world, adding that the way forward is to establish and strengthen a joint commission at the highest levels.
