TEHRAN (ecoideal)- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced that his country welcomes further expansion of ties and cooperation with Sofia as well as Bulgarian companies' investment in its oil and gas sector.
"Iran that holds the largest energy, oil and gas reserves can meet Europe's needs in this sector and we are ready to develop cooperation with Bulgaria in this field," President Rouhani said in a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev on Tuesday afternoon on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly conference in New York.
Noting that energy projects worth $200bln have attracted foreign investors to Iran, he said, "The Bulgarian technical-engineering firms and private sector companies can take the opportunity and invest in these projects."
Radev, for his part, underlined the Bulgarian private sector's enthusiasm for joint investment in the energy and transportation sectors in Iran, and said, "Iran's stabilizing and successful policies in the region have paved the ground for deepening and expanding bilateral ties in different arenas."
He also called for the further broadening of trade and economic ties with Tehran.
In relevant remarks in March, Iranian First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri underlined that his country considers broadening of relations with Bulgaria as highly important.
"I hope to witness the expansion of Tehran-Sofia relations," Jahangiri said in a message to Bulgarian Prime Minister Ognyan Gerdzhikov.
He reiterated that the private sectors of the two countries have vast capacities for boosting trade exchanges.
Also, late in October, Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Valentine Poriazov announced that the relations between Sofia and Tehran had entered a new phase.
"The new era of relations between Bulgaria and Iran needs enhancing consular cooperation," Poriazov said in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Ministry Director General for Consular Affairs Ali Chegini in Sofia
Poriazov pointed to the recent negotiations between the two states stressing “a new chapter has been opened in bilateral relations between Tehran and Sofia making it necessary for consular cooperation to develop parallel to other areas.
He underlined that Iran and Bulgaria have the needed capacities to boost their cooperation in different fields.
Source: Farsnews