Iran And Venezuela Sign 20-Year Cooperation Plan

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (left) meets with his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, in Tehran on June 11.

Iran and Venezuela have signed a 20-year cooperation plan, Iranian state media reported on June 11.

The plan includes cooperation in the fields of oil, petrochemicals, tourism, and culture.

The signing ceremony was held in Tehran’s Saadabad Palace in the presence of visiting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi.

Signing the pact "shows the determination of the high-level officials of the two countries to develop relations in different fields," Raisi said, according to state TV.

In addition to the 20-year accord inked by the two countries' foreign ministers, "Iran and Venezuela signed documents on cooperation in the political, cultural, tourism, economic, oil and petrochemical fields," the official Iranian government news agency IRNA said.

Maduro, who arrived in the Iranian capital late on June 10, was quoted by Iranian media as praising Tehran’s move to send fuel tankers to his energy-hungry nation.

Both Iran and Venezuela are under heavy U.S. economic sanctions.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP and IRNA