TEHRAN, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Saturday that Iran and Sri Lanka have agreed on the need to promote cooperation in trade and tourism, the official news agency IRNA reported.
He made the remarks at a joint press conference with his visiting Sri Lankan counterpart Ali Sabry following their meeting in the capital Tehran earlier in the day.
The two countries will also expand cooperation in the scientific and cultural areas, as well as in using their knowledge-based firms' capacities, Amir-Abdollahian added.
The talks also touched on the bilateral cooperation within the framework of the Indian Ocean Rim Association as Sri Lanka will soon take over the chairmanship of the association, the Iranian minister noted.
The possibility of exchanging prisoners under agreements between the two countries was another talking point during the meeting, Amir-Abdollahian said, adding the two sides agreed to release each other's nationals by adopting a humanitarian approach.
The Sri Lankan minister, for his part, said his country is the gateway to South Asia and East Asia, inviting Iranian firms to invest in Sri Lanka, which has good business opportunities. ■
