Iran hosts meeting on closer Latin America banking ties
Iran’s Foreign Ministry officials and representatives of the state-run and private banks held a meeting in Tehran to explore avenues for expanding banking ties with Latin American countries. The gathering was attended by Iranian Foreign Ministry’s political directors in charge of Latin American affairs, representatives of Iranian banks and diplomats representing a Foreign Ministry committee on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — an agreement between Iran and the P5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) on Iran’s nuclear program, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Speaking at the meeting, Foreign Ministry’s Director General for the Americas Mohammad Keshavarz-zadeh highlighted the enthusiasm among Latin American nations to forge banking ties with Iran, given the Islamic Republic’s position in the international community, high investment security in Iran, its great political and economic weight in the Middle East, as well as the ample trade opportunities available in the country.
The meeting came a few months after a visit to Latin America by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Heading a 120-strong delegation of Iranian business people and economic officials, Zarif traveled to Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia and Venezuela in August.
International enthusiasm for enhanced ties with Iran has grown since the JCPOA came into force in January 2016.