Albania has decided to open its embassy in Tehran, said Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati.
![Bushati: Albania decided to open embassy in Tehran Bushati: Albania decided to open embassy in Tehran](/files/en/news/2017/1/15/25396_248.jpg)
"Time and conditions are appropriate for widening bilateral relations with Iran. Albania has decided to open its embassy in Tehran,” he said in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif here in Tehran.
Bushati added that economic cooperation is one of Albania’s priorities for developing bilateral ties with Iran, and expressed hope that agreements on supporting joint investment and avoidance of double taxation would be signed between Iran and Albania.
Zarif, for his part, said there are many opportunities for boosting and developing bilateral cooperation in political, cultural and economic fields between the two countries.
He also referred to rise of extremism in European and the Balkan countries and said Iran is ready for cooperation with Albania on confronting extremism and terrorism.
Zarif emphasized promoting mutual cooperation between Tehran and Tirana on parliamentary fields, commercial tourism, road construction, railroad, energy power and gas).
At the end of the meeting, both parties signed a memorandum of understanding to hold regular political talks.
Bushati arrived in Tehran on Saturday at top of a trade and economic delegation to discuss the further expansion of bilateral economic ties with Iranian officials during his two-day visit.
His visit to Iran comes in line with bilateral diplomatic ties between Iran and Albania.
Early December 2013, Bushati and Iran's former Ambassador to Tirana Abdolmajid Mozzafari stressed that the abundant capacities and potentials of the two countries should be utilized in a proper manner to expand mutual cooperation between the two states in all fields.
In a meeting in Tirana, the top Albanian diplomat underlined the high capacity of Albania and Iran in different fields, such as economy and culture, and called for expansion of bilateral ties with Tehran.
Mozzafari, for his part, said that the new administration in Iran is ready to expand bilateral ties with Albania in various arenas.
The Iranian diplomat added that maintaining and developing friendly ties with all nations, including Albania, is a principal policy of Iran and the political intention is to take effective steps towards developing all-out relations between the two nations.