David Jalagania is in Tehran and had a meeting with Morteza Sarmadi on Saturday. Mr. Zarif is visiting Southeast Asian and Pacific countries in a long tour which will culminated in his visit to Australia. Mr. Zarif is the first Iranian official who visits the country within 15 years.
In the absence of Mr. Zarif, Mr. Sarmadi discussed with Georgian foreign minister bilateral matters of interest and possible improvements to bilateral relations in the new era of post-JCPOA.
Mr. Sarmadi criticized some countries in the region who, he believed, viewed and actually used terrorism as a foreign policy instrument; “however, terrorism would backfire, hitting those countries in turn,” he said.
On trade between north and south, deputy-FM said that the project was a priority for Iran which would connect Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman to land-locked countries in Central Asia; “it will also include energy trade and transportation as a strategic good of the region,” he told his counterpart.
