Iran and Venezuela on Monday signed four agreements of cooperation in various sectors during Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's visit to Tehran, the official IRNA news agency reported.

 

The agreements, signed at the end of Chavez's one-day visit to Tehran, envision cooperation in education, production of industrial molds, establishment of joint Iranian and Venezuelan banks and setting up of joint financial units, IRNA said.

 

Chavez, who arrived in Tehran on Monday morning, and held one-and-a-half hours of private talks with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

 

"Some important and constructive agreements reached here today will enhance the dimensions of our cooperation and will further expand our ties," Iran's state broadcaster IRIB quoted Ahmadinejad as saying after the meeting.

 

"We are determined to enlarge, as far as possible, our bilateral relationship," Ahmadinejad said. "The two nations are to pave the way shoulder to shoulder."

 

The Venezuelan president, for his part, termed expansion of ties with Tehran as very valuable from ethical, political, economic, social and geopolitical points of view.

 

"The two sides signed some very good agreements which are to broaden and bolster mutual cooperation and strategic unity," Chavez said.

 

He also voiced his support for Iran's nuclear program, saying "taking advantage of peaceful nuclear technology is among Iran's legitimate rights."

 

Chavez later on Monday afternoon left Tehran for Paris. Ahmadinejad bade formal farewell to his Venezuelan counterpart, IRNA reported.

 

Chavez arrived here from Saudi Arabia where he attended the third summit of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at the weekend. Ahmadinejad also attended the OPEC meeting in Riyadh.

 

This was Chavez's fourth visit to Iran since Ahmadinejad took office in 2005. The Venezuelan president's last visit to Tehran took place on June 30-July 1.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 20, 2007)