Tehran, September 05: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Tehran Saturday for talks with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the news network Khabar reported.
The two reportedly planned to increase cooperation and continue talks on a 10-year bilateral plan aimed at tackling the global economic crisis.
Ahmadinejad and Chavez, who both are avid critics of the United States, have several times called for a new world order and reform of the United Nations Security Council.
Chavez was one of the first foreign heads of state to congratulate Ahmadinejad on his June 12 re-election, which was disputed over allegations of fraud.
According to state television, it was the seventh visit to Iran by Chavez who has several times described the Islamic country as his “second home.”
In 2006, Tehran honoured Chavez with the High Medal of the Islamic Republic of Iran for his contribution to improved bilateral ties in recent years.
Chavez and Ahmadinejad met Saturday in the presidential office and their main focus is to follow up the 186 agreements the two countries have signed in the last four years.
Bilateral trade has reportedly reached an estimated 4.6 billion dollars.
While mainly referring to the US, state TV quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that existence of “common enemies” made fostering bilateral ties more necessary than ever.
Contrary to the Western world, Chavez has constantly supported Iran’s controversial programmes and defended the Islamic state’s right to pursue peaceful nuclear projects.
But some Iranian legislators have noted that Latin America’s role is not very significant, and say the economic agreements and trade with countries like Venezuela have minimal impact on Iran’s economy.
–Agencies