Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Thursday said Ramaphosa will visit Iran on Saturday at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Eshaq Jahangiri.
During his trip, Ramaphosa will meet with high-ranking Iranian officials and prepare the grounds for a visit to Iran by South African President Jacob Zuma in the future, Amir Abdollahian stated.
A huge delegation including 160 South African businessmen, industrialists, and investors will also accompany the African country’s deputy president, he noted, adding that they will meet their counterparts in Iran’s private sector.
“We are determined to expand our relations with the African continent in the post-JCPOA era,” the Iranian diplomat stressed, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the text of a nuclear conclusion between Iran and world powers.
He further described Tehran-Pretoria relations as “very good” and “progressing”, saying that in the past two years, the two countries’ foreign ministries have played a significant role in the development of bilateral ties.
Ramaphosa’s Tehran visit will come six months after South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane paid an official visit to Iran.
During a meeting with the South African minister back in May, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had noted that there are good grounds for boosting cooperation between the two countries at bilateral and multilateral levels.
Expansion of relations with African nations in all political, economic and cultural fields is top on the agenda of Iran's foreign policy.
President Rouhani, who took office in August 2013, has repeatedly stressed his government's interest in boosting relations with the African states.