Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has arrived in the Venezuela capital, Caracas, on the first leg of a five-day tour of Latin American countries.






President Raisi arrived in Caracas on Monday noon local time, leading a high-ranking delegation at the formal invitation of his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro.

The visit is aimed at expanding political and economic relations between the two countries.

Prior to his departure, Raisi said that the Islamic Republic's relations with independent Latin American states are strategic.

The Iranian president�s Latin American tour will also take him to Nicaragua and Cuba.

He has noted that good relations have been developed between the Islamic Republic of Iran and those three countries in recent years.

Iran has close ties with many Latin American states in different domains and seeks to further deepen its relations with those nations.

Back in February, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made an official visit to two Latin American countries of Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Last June, Iran and Venezuela signed a 20-year partnership agreement aimed at bolstering bilateral cooperation in various fields during Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro�s visit to Tehran.

The partnership agreement includes cooperation in the fields of science, technology, agriculture, oil and gas, petrochemicals, tourism and culture.