TOKYO: State Minister for Foreign Affairs TSUGE Yoshifumi attended in Tehran the Inauguration Ceremony of Masoud Pezeshkian, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a special envoy of Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio, the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo said.

On July 30, Special Envoy Tsuge paid a courtesy call to President Pezeshkian and congratulated him on his inauguration and expressed a mutual desire to develop further bilateral relations based on the traditional friendship between the two countries.

President Pezeshkian expressed his gratitude for the visit and stated that Iran is ready to deepen its relations with Japan and is optimistic about the potential for growth in the relationship in various fields with Prime Minister Kishida further.

Special Envoy Tsuge expressed his expectation that Iran will play a more constructive role in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, given the current situation in the region. He also stated that human and cultural exchanges dating back more than 1000 years between the two countries are encouraging and expressed his hope that friendly relations will further enrich the people-to-people ties that will be an asset for the future.

In response, President Pezeshkian reiterated his readiness to cooperate with any country to promote peace and stability in the region.

The ministry said both sides exchanged views on bilateral relations and regional affairs and concurred to deepen the dialogue between the two countries, reaffirming their commitment to open and constructive communication.

During the visit to Tehran, Special Envoy Tsuge met Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf.