TEHRAN, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran's newly-elected President Ebrahim Raisi pointed to ties with Latin American countries as one of Iran's priorities, according to a briefing released on Wednesday on the Iranian Presidency's official website.
Raisi made the remarks in a meeting held in the capital Tehran on Tuesday night with Sacha Llorenti, visiting secretary-general of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA).
"It is necessary to increase the level of cooperation and coordination in various bilateral, regional and international areas with proper planning and readiness," Raisi said.
He also stressed the value of cooperation between Iran and Latin American countries as a means to counter the influence of the United States and other "arrogant" powers.
For his part, Llorenti greeted Raisi's election on behalf of the ALBA.
"The goal of the ALBA union is to further enhance relations between the ALBA member states and the Islamic Republic of Iran," he added.
Llorenti pointed to the will to defend the independence and sovereignty of nations and to stand up to "excessive U.S. demands" as values shared by Iran and the ALBA.
Llorenti arrived in Tehran on Tuesday to attend the inauguration ceremony of Ebrahim Raisi as the new president of Iran at the Iranian parliament on Thursday. Enditem
