Araqchi Underscores Foreign Ministry’s Central Role in Advancing Iran’s Foreign Trade
Tehran, The Gulf Observer: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi underscored the strategic importance of provincial diplomacy and reiterated the central role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in steering Iran’s foreign economic relations during a high-level meeting held Thursday on the sidelines of a conference on provincial economic diplomacy in Shiraz, southern Iran.
The meeting brought together Iranian ambassadors to the Persian Gulf states, alongside key provincial officials and senior diplomats. Notable attendees included Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Rasoul Mohajer, Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary, and Iranian Expatriates Affairs Vahid Jalalzadeh, and Iranian ambassadors to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.
In his remarks, Minister Araqchi stressed the need to expand and institutionalize interactions between Iranian diplomatic missions and provincial authorities, particularly chambers of commerce and free trade zones located in Iran’s southern regions. He emphasized that such collaborations are essential for overcoming existing challenges and enhancing Iran’s diplomatic and economic outreach in the Persian Gulf region.
The session also featured reports from ambassadors on the current status of bilateral relations and recent regional developments. Araqchi encouraged Iranian envoys to serve as active facilitators of economic engagement, aligning national diplomatic efforts with provincial economic initiatives.
Highlighting the Ministry’s pivotal role, Araqchi noted that the Foreign Ministry is not only responsible for advancing Iran’s political interests abroad but also for orchestrating the nation’s foreign economic policy and regulatory framework.
The conference and accompanying diplomatic meetings mark a continued effort by Tehran to integrate provincial capacities into the broader framework of its foreign policy, especially in fostering sustainable economic partnerships with neighboring Gulf states.
