MARA website --Minister Han Changfu met with Iranian Agriculture Jihad Minister Mahmoud Hojjati in Beijing on August 5th. 

Minister Han said that since the two heads of states announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries in 2016, new momentum has been injected into various fields of bilateral cooperation. China and Iran have a sound foundation and broad prospects for agricultural cooperation. China is ready to work with Iran to deepen comprehensive and pragmatic agricultural cooperation, and bring more benefits to the people of the two countries.  

Minister Han also talked about the issues of concern to Iran, including mechanism development, agricultural trade, agricultural science and technologies, rural development, access for agricultural products, and FAO’s South-South cooperation programs, among others. Minister Han put forward a number of proposals, including making good use of the platform of the China-Iran Joint Committee of Agriculture, scaling up cooperation progress, carrying out agricultural cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, further improving fisheries cooperation, and so forth. 

Minister Mahmoud Hojjati thanked Minister Han for his positive responses to the issues of concern to Iran, and agreed with Minister Han on his cooperation proposals. He also expressed his high appreciation for China's long-standing and firm support for the economic, social and agricultural development of Iran. He said that Iran is ready to convene meetings of the Joint Committee of Agriculture and the Working Group on Fishery together with China as quickly as possible, in order to work out cooperation plans and promote the healthy and in-depth development of agricultural and fisheries cooperation between the two sides. 

(Photo by Cong Lin, MARA website)