The Iranian and South African foreign ministers weighed plans for the promotion of cooperation between the two nations and holding the 15th meeting of their Joint Commission in Pretoria in the first half of 2022.

In a telephone conversation on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa Naledi Pandor discussed bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries.

They also talked about various other topics, such as holding the 10th political committee at the level of deputy foreign ministers in Tehran, holding the 15th meeting of the Joint Commission at the level of foreign ministers, an official visit by the Iranian president to South Africa, and issues of mutual interest.

Expressing satisfaction with a recent meeting with her Iranian counterpart on the sidelines of the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Pandor stressed the importance of developing bilateral relations.

The South African foreign minister also mentioned the Iranian president's visit to Pretoria and the holding of the 15th meeting of the Joint Commission, which will be hosted by South Africa during the first six months of 2022 in Pretoria.

For his part, the top Iranian diplomat welcomed the planned Joint Commission meeting, and highlighted the need to form investment, energy and health subcommittees, and to work on areas of mutual interest for cooperation in order to expand trade and economic relations.

The two senior diplomats further stressed the need to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the international and regional fields, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s website reported.