President's visit forges closer ties as Slovenia reopens Tehran embassy

Slovenian President Borut Pahor will pay a two-day official visit to Iran from Tuesday, during which Slovenia will reopen its embassy in Tehran after three years of closure.

He will be accompanied by the ministers for economy and foreign affairs, and a 60-strong business delegation, the president's office said. The visit is to be an opportunity to deepen dialogue in all fields, especially in the economy.

Along with bilateral relations, international hot spots and regional developments, in particular in the European Union, Western Balkans and Iran's neighbourhood are also expected to be discussed, Slovenian Press Agency (STA) reported, quoting the office's announcement on the visiting program.

On the first day, Pahor will meet his counterpart Hassan Rouhani and Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, while talks with Speaker Ali Larijani are scheduled for Wednesday.

As part of the visit, Slovenia will reopen its embassy after it closed it in 2013 as part of austerity measures, according to the program details.

The Slovenian government made the decision to reopen the embassy in May 2016, following the international agreement on Iran's nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions.

On Tuesday, Pahor will address a Slovenia-Iran business conference, which will also feature 60 representatives of 45 Slovenian companies, the program indicates.

The Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) said, according to the STA report, that the conference would encourage and confirm energy and telecommunications projects that Slovenian firms and Iranian partners are already discussing, and increase the number of companies entering Iran's market of 80 million people. Endit