Iran’s Velayati, Special Adviser to Japanese PM Discuss Bilateral Ties
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Head of the Strategic Research Center of Iran's Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati and Katsuyuki Kawai, the special adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, held talks on a range of issues, including ways to boost relations between the two Asian countries.
Speaking to reporters in Tehran after the Wednesday meeting, Velayati said the special adviser conveyed a message from the Japanese premier, which he will deliver to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.
He further said that in the meeting, he explained Tehran’s stance on its relations with East Asian countries, adding that Japan is among the countries Iran aims to boost relations with.
Velayati also said Shinzo Abe is planned to pay an official visit to Tehran in the near future, adding that promotion of bilateral ties and talks with senior Iranian officials on regional and international cooperation are among the objectives of Abe’s planned trip to the Islamic Republic.
During his Iran visit, the Japanese adviser has held several meetings with Iranian officials including the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Governor Valiollah Seif and Culture Minister Ali Jannati.
In his meeting with CBI chief earlier this week, Kawai highlighted Japanese banks’ enthusiasm for stronger presence in Iran, and demanded that Tokyo receive the necessary information from Iranian banks that are willing to promote cooperation with Japanese ones.
For his part, Seif hailed Japan as Iran’s “big economic partner in East Asia”, saying the ground is set for the expansion of trade ties between the two countries.
