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- Aug 7, 2006
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The government plans to send a team from the Treasury to Iran for negotiations on repayment of USD 77bn/- that Tanzania owes that country.
The minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Bernard Membe, said this yesterday when he addressed journalists in Dar es Salaam.
In the presence of the Iranian Foreign Affairs minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Membe said the aim of sending the team was to chart the way forward regarding the debt.
The Iranian minister is in Tanzania with a group of investors to scout for investment opportunities.
"We will soon send the team to find out how Iran can reduce or write off the said debt," he said, noting that it has been increasing as a result of accumulating interests.
However, Membe did not mention the reason for the country to borrow the money and when it did so.
On relationships between the two countries, the two ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investment.
Membe said Tanzania has for a long time enjoyed the bilateral relationships it had with Iran, noting:
"The main aim is to cement relationships between our two countries and increase investment opportunities."
According to Membe, they held discussions on how each country can promote business and investment opportunities.
For his part, the Iranian Foreign Affairs minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said his country has for a long time been a true friend of Tanzania and Africa as a whole.
He said Iran would still remain by the side of Africa through developing it in various spheres.
"We decided to come to Tanzania with a group of investors to look for available investment opportunities in various sectors. We also want to see how we can partner with local investors," he noted.
Zarif said Iran appreciates Tanzania's continuous support in various aspects.
He mentioned some as trying to convince the world that his country's uranium was only meant for power production and not atomic production.
He pledged that Iran will continue to be very active in supporting Tanzania's health and education sectors.
Source: The Guardian