The Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Abubakar Bawa Bwari, has expressed Nigeria’s interest in strengthening trade relations with Iran, especially in the mining sector.

He stated this when he received the Iranian Ambassador to Nigeria, Morteza Rahimi Zarchi, who paid a courtesy visit to the Ministry last Wednesday.

President Buhari also told his guest about the recent election in Nigeria and the fact that a new President would be taking over in less than three months. He hoped that the strong relations he had built between the two countries will continue to endure in the new administration.

The Iranian Vice President said he was glad to meet with the Nigerian leader, understanding fully that the two nations with their rich human and natural resources and the attendant wealth accrued need to cooperate in other areas such as Agriculture.

With Iran currently facing international sanctions over nuclear and other issues, Mr Mansouri stressed that as leaders in their respective regions, it was important for the two countries to push for multilateralism to be the order of the day and avoid a unipolar world, adding that the way forward is to set up and strengthen a joint commission between the two countries at the highest levels.

Furtherance to the trade cooperation, he visited Niger State, which he confessed is blessed with mineral resources, adding, there is a need to involve the private sector in the expansion of the economic cooperation between the two countries.