The announcement came in a joint press conference attended by Raisi and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas on Monday, after the two heads of state held bilateral talks.

“We have decided to increase the cooperation between the two countries,” Raisi said.

“The volume of trade exchanges between Iran and Venezuela will be increased to 10 billion dollars in the first step, which can be raised to 20 billion dollars in the second step,” Iran’s president said.

Raisi noted that Tehran’s relations with Caracas are not ordinary diplomatic ties, but are of a strategic nature.

“Having common interests, positions and enemies has helped deepen cooperation between the two countries and make it strategic,” Raisi said.

The press conference was preceded by an official ceremony during which the two countries’ ministers and other top officials signed a total of 19 cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding.

The agreements were aimed at expanding cooperation between Tehran and Caracas in many areas, including in the field of petrochemicals, as the two sides move to expand overall cooperation in the oil sector.

The documents will also boost the two countries’ cooperation in such areas as information and communication technology, energy, insurance, marine transportation, higher education, agriculture, medicine, culture and mines.

Meanwhile in a joint press conference with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Raisi said a new world order is being formed in favor of freedom-seeking, independent countries, stressing that resistance against the arrogant powers has led to significant achievements.

The Iranian president said Tehran and Caracas have managed to improve “strategic” relations in recent years, but they should swiftly implement the previously signed agreements to upgrade ties to higher levels given diverse mutual capacities.

He added that Iran has capabilities in the field of exporting technical-engineering services and processing agricultural and mineral products.

“The Iranian nation has gained valuable experience and achievements in the field of science and technology thanks to its resistance against the arrogant system and [success to] overcome the sanctions,” Raisi said, expressing Tehran’s readiness to share them with Venezuela.

The Iranian and Venezuelan presidents also announced their decision to increase the volume of bilateral trade to $20 billion.

The Iranian president stressed the importance of further activating the shipping lines between the two countries and called for strengthening cooperation in the industrial, mining, energy, monetary and banking sectors.

The Venezuelan president, for his part, pointed to Caracas’s strategic relations with Tehran and said Venezuela is firmly determined to start a new round of bids aimed at expanding relations with Iran.

Maduro added that Iran and Venezuela have made efforts to reduce their dependence on oil revenues and increase the resistance of their economies against foreign upheaval and pressure.

In the new world that is being formed, imperialism is collapsing and the countries that have resisted the excessive demands of the arrogant powers are on the verge of victory, he emphasized.

The Venezuelan leader stressed the necessity of establishing a direct air line between the two countries and strengthening shipping lines to increase bilateral trade.

He noted that Tehran and Caracas have also appropriate capacities for cooperation in the fields of tourism, agriculture and animal husbandry.

That deal includes repairs to oil refineries in Venezuela, which has the world’s largest crude reserves but has struggled to produce enough gasoline and diesel, leading to intermittent shortages that have forced drivers to queue for hours.

Iran has provided fuel and diluents to convert Venezuela’s extra-heavy crude into exportable varieties and since 2020 has supplied parts for repairs to the refining circuit.

A unit of Iran’s state-owned refiner NIORDC signed a 110-million-euro contract in May 2022 to make repairs at Venezuela’s smallest refinery, El Palito, which has a capacity of 146,000 barrels per day.

Iran is also set to be involved in a modernization project at Venezuela’s largest refinery complex, partly to restore distilling capacity.

Speaking in a joint meeting of Iranian and Venezuela tradesmen, Raisi said becoming stronger in the economic sector would be the most effective way to counter sanctions.

He added that the Iranian youths have succeeded in turning sanctions into opportunities by making use of the capabilities of the knowledge-based companies and maintaining peace and stability in the country against the upheavals.

He noted that Tehran and Caracas have enormous capacities to increase economic exchanges which have not been used yet.

The Iranian president emphasized that Tehran and Caracas can reach the 20-billion-dollar target through investment.

The two sides agreed to remove customs, banking and tariff barriers in order to facilitate and accelerate economic exchanges, he noted.

Raisi said Iranian ambassadors, commercial offices, the house of science and technology and all active sectors in the fields of industry, mines and banking affairs must work to facilitate mutual trade ties.

A high-ranking delegation comprised of ministers of foreign affairs, oil, defense, and health is accompanying Raisi on the five-day tour, which will also take him to Nicaragua and Cuba.

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

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Amir-Hossein Mirabadi, an official with the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, has recently paid a visit to the Venezuelan science and technology park, IRNA reported.

During the visit, he met with the head of the Venezuelan science and technology park in order to finalize previous agreements.

“We are ready to equip the park with Iran-made equipment,” he said, announcing readiness to hold training courses for the Venezuelan workforce.

In November 2022, Iranian Science Minister Mohammad Ali Zolfigol in a meeting in Tehran with his Venezuelan counterpart Gabriela Servilia Jimenez announced readiness to establish a science and technology park in Venezuela.

With 49 science and technology parks and 7,500 technological companies and numerous knowledge-based companies, Iran has valuable experiences in the field of science and technology and is ready to help Venezuela in establishing a science and technology park, Zolfigol said.

“We must try and plan to promote the scientific and technological cooperation between Iran and Venezuela to the same level as the political relations,” he added.

Iran is not dependent on the East and the West and can interact and cooperate with different countries of the world by its will, he noted, adding, forming a joint committee can help operationalize the will to increase scientific cooperation between the two countries.

Jimenez also for her part stated that the two countries are serious to increase scientific and technological cooperation, and a road map for the development of cooperation should be drawn.

Venezuela also attaches great importance to science and technology, and soon the first industrial science and technology park will be opened, she added.

“We believe that science should be in the service of philanthropy, pacifism, environmental protection, and the development of humanity, and we believe that Iran also shares common ground,” she also said.

At the end of this meeting, a memorandum of understanding on scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries was signed.

In September 2022, more than 82 knowledge-based firms attended an exhibition in Caracas with the aim of exchanging experiences and holding meetings.

Some 200 companies attended this event and 60 cooperation contracts were signed. We tried to provide a field for interaction and synergy between companies, she said.

On June 11, President Ebrahim Raisi heading a high-ranking delegation will travel to Latin America, planning to visit Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba.

In an interview with IRNA, Iranian Ambassador to Venezuela Hojjatollah Soltani took stock of the state of relations between Iran and Venezuela. He said, “Our relations are very good and moving forward in all spheres politically, economically, culturally, scientifically, and technically. Currently, our political relations with Venezuela are at the highest level and we have high political commonalities with the government and people of this country.”

“In the economic field, many projects have been formed and good works have been done, and many Iranian companies are working in Venezuela. We have had one of the most successful science and technology fairs in Venezuela, where 85 knowledge-based companies with 145 managers and researchers participated in Venezuela. In the cultural field, we also exchange students between the two countries, so Iran-Venezuela relations are moving well in all fields.”

MG

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In a statement on Friday, the embassy said the route seeks to support traders in both countries.

Appreciating the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), the mission said a cargo ship will leave Iran for Venezuela every three months.

The IRISL said last week that the third ship carrying Iranian goods will head to Venezuela in May.

Iran and Venezuela have improved relations in various fields in recent years.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro made an official visit to Iran in June 2022, inking a 20-year partnership agreement aimed at improving bilateral cooperation in various fields such as technology, agriculture, oil and gas, petrochemicals, tourism as well as culture.

On June 12, 2022, Iranian Ambassador to Venezuela Hojatollah Soltani described the direct shipping lane as a “lost chain” in ties between the two states. The diplomat said it could lead to a “major transformation” in bilateral relations.

He said the economies of Iran and Venezuela are complementary as Venezuela is in need of home appliances, petrochemical products, raw materials, medicine, and medical equipment, all of which are being produced in Iran, adding that Venezuela has a great capacity in agriculture.

The growing cooperation was also highlighted in the ninth meeting of the Iran-Venezuela Joint Economic Committee which was held in Tehran on November 15, 2022. Co-chaired by Venezuelan Transport Minister Ramon Blazquez and Iranian Defense Minister Mohammadreza Gharaei Ashtiani, the three-day event explored new avenues for mutual cooperation.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides inked a comprehensive cooperation document covering a variety of areas including industry, mining, energy, petrochemical, trade, agriculture, science, and technology.

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The meeting was held on Thursday in Tehran on the sidelines of the 6th National Festival and Exhibition of Medicinal Plants, Natural Products, and Iranian Traditional Medicine.

A delegation of Venezuelans participated in the event to expand the technological interactions between the two countries, with Carolina Eser, the Vice President of Science and Technology of Venezuela in attendance.

Due to being located in a specific geographical area and connecting the south of the country to the northern part of the Amazon, Venezuela has many different plant species, Quintero said, adding, therefore, it is possible to conduct much scientific research in the field of medicinal plants in Venezuela.

Iranian traditional medicine strongly focuses on prioritizing health maintenance and disease prevention over treatment.But we did not work as we should in this field. Therefore, according to these climatic conditions, there is a good opportunity for Iranian companies, he suggested.

At the end of this meeting, Iranian knowledge-based companies had negotiations for cooperation with Venezuela, and technological interactions and discussions took place between Iranian companies and the Venezuelan side. The presence of the Venezuelan delegation in this period of the exhibition was on behalf of their government.

The 6th National Festival and Exhibition of Medicinal Plants, Natural Products, and Iranian Traditional Medicine was held on November 1 to 4, with the presence of 240 companies.

Business delegations from Russia, Serbia, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Venezuela, Oman, India, and Gambia are present at the exhibition.

Iranian traditional medicine

Iran ranks fourth worldwide in the production of science in the field of traditional medicine, and the remarkable achievement will improve in the coming years, Nafiseh Hosseini Yekta, the director of the health ministry’s Persian medicine office, has announced.

Over 17,000 books have so far been published about Persian traditional medicine, which has been recognized by the World Health Organization, she noted.

Iranian traditional medicine strongly focuses on prioritizing health maintenance and disease prevention over treatment.

It is one of the most ancient forms of traditional medicine. It is grounded in the concept of four senses of humor: phlegm (Balgham), blood (Dam), yellow bile (Safra’), and black bile (Sauda’). The concept of the four senses of humor is based on the teachings of Rhazes and Avicenna in an elaborate medical system.

So far, about 30,000 plant species have been identified in the world, with Iran’s share of about 8,000 species which is more than the whole of species found in Europe.

Some 2,300 species of medicinal plants have been identified in the country, accounting for one-third of the medicines used in human societies, the share of world trade in these products is about $124 billion and Iran’s share is $570 million, which is only 0.5 percent of the total.

The per capita consumption of medicinal plants in Iran is about one kilogram of dried plants, in other words, 83,000 tons of medicinal plants worth 1.2 trillion rials (around $4 million) are consumed in the country, while in Europe this amount is 900 grams and in the United States is 2.5 kilograms.

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According to reports, the forum is aimed at reviewing the latest economic developments of Iran Venezuela as well as getting members for the joint Iran-Venezuela commercial committee.

Those who have been active or involved in trade with Venezuela have been invited to attend the forum which will be held on August 20 at the ICCIMA. In recent years the economic relations between Tehran and Caracas have been boosted but it is still far from what is expected by both countries.

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During a phone conversation, Jimenez suggested that an exhibition of Iran’s scientific capabilities be held in Venezuela so that the universities and researchers get to know more about Iran’s scientific and technological capacity.

She further expressed interest in using Iran’s scientific capabilities in the fields of health, energy, pharmaceuticals, food, veterinary medicine, telecommunications, and petrochemicals, and in this regard, the presence of Iranian knowledge-based companies in Venezuela will be provided.

Venezuela is interested in using Iran’s experience in the fields of health, pharmaceuticals, food, and veterinary medicine. Referring to her visits to Iranian universities, she added that there is a high scientific and research capacity in Iran, and accordingly, we welcome the development of joint scientific relations.

Zolfigol also suggested making a list of ideas and needs of Venezuela and providing it to the scientists of both countries so that Iranian scientists can also come to the aid of that country.

Researchers and scientists from both sides can institutionalize scientific interaction with their visits, he said, adding, “We strongly believe in scientific diplomacy in the whole world.”

Although Iran’s population is one percent of the world’s population, our share of the world’s science production is more than two percent, he highlighted.

Referring to the U.S. sanctions as a barrier to scientific development, he stated that sanctions can be turned into opportunities, and Venezuela can use the created conditions to turn sanctions into opportunities while maintaining its independence.

More than 80,000 academic staff members are engaged in teaching and research in the Iranian universities, and our researchers have technological activities in 49 science and technology parks, and the publication of more than 76,000 articles in prestigious journals last year is a sign of Iran’s scientific capabilities, he noted.

Science diplomacy at highest level

Data from the Scopus International Citation Database show that Iran’s scientific diplomacy has reached more than 34 percent since the beginning of 2021, the highest level in the past 20 years.

Science diplomacy is the use of scientific collaborations among nations to address common problems and build constructive international partnerships. It is a form of new diplomacy and has become an umbrella term to describe a number of formal or informal technical, research-based, academic, or engineering exchanges, within the general field of international relations.

Comparing the rate of 2020 with 2019, Iran with a growth of 12.5 percent and with a slight difference from India has gained second place in the world in terms of the growth of world science diplomacy, Mohammad Javad Dehghani, head of the Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC), said.

In 2011, the share of Iranian articles with international participation was about 16.5 percent, which increased to 19.7 percent in 2016 and gradually in the following years, so that in 2020 and 2021, reached 30.5 and 34.2 percent, respectively, he added.

The share of Iranian articles with international participation has had significant growth of 209 percent during an eight-year period (2013-2020), becoming the Islamic world’s leading country in science diplomacy, according to the Scopus International Citation Database.

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