India's Kerala Next reports from Teheran (Iran) that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was officially welcomed by his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Khatami at the Sa'dabad Cultural Complex, Sunday, where they held discussions to exchange ideas on bilateral ties.

Chavez said that he came to the Islamic Republic of Iran to assess the state of Iran-Venezuela relations since the recent referendum on his rule and also to strengthen ties between the two countries, adding that before studying relations in the international arena, bilateral relations should be examined.

He called President Khatami a great analyst, noting that Khatami had pointed to the current situation in Venezuela and said that the country had entered a new phase of development.

Chavez said that Iran-Venezuela ties are strategic and purposeful and the two countries are not under the influence of any foreign country, while both are opposed to the idea of a unipolar world.

For his part, President Khatami observed that Chavez is not only a significant figure for his own people but is also an important political figure for all developing countries, adding that the Venezuelan nation should support him.  He praised Chavez for defending the interests of oil producers and considering the interests of consumers at the same time and noted that OPEC is currently in excellent shape.

Given the critical situation in both regions, Tehran and Caracas can complement each other in the Americas and the Middle East, the Iranian president said.  He went on to say that bilateral cooperation between Iran and Venezuela should go beyond trade relations to cooperation in the area of development.

Khatami also said that Iran and Venezuela should support their private sector companies and strengthen their agricultural sectors in order to increase security and improve their national economies.

This report appeared earlier today at the Kerala (India) Next website