Foreign Minister George Vella has had talks in Teheran with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif.

The Foreign Ministry said that Mr Zarif described the meeting, the first between the foreign ministers of the two countries, as a milestone in relations between the two countries.

He thanked Malta for supporting the negotiations that led to the lifting of sanctions on Iran, and expressed the Iranian government‘s interest in deepening cooperation with Malta.

Dr Vella said that Malta looks forward to opening a new chapter of strengthened bilateral relations with Iran.

"There is ample potential to be addressed on various fronts, including political, commercial, cultural and people-to-people sectors."

He also spoke on the role that Malta will be playing as part of its presidency of the Council of the European Union, and added that developments in Iran's neighbourhood would continue to be looked at very closely. He appealed to Iran and other regional players to put aside tensions and invest their efforts at contributing to the solution of a degenerating scenario in Syria.

The latest developments in Yemen and Lebanon were also discussed at length.

The two ministers identified avenues of possible cooperation between Malta and Iran, with shipping, maritime, aviation, tourism, financial services and banking sectors featuring prominently in these exchanges.

Dr Vella also held discussions with the Iranian Minister for Transport and Urban Development who reiterated Iran’s interest in intensifying contacts with Malta in the logistics and transshipment sectors.

Two memoranda of understanding concerning political consultations and the waiving of visas for diplomatic passports were signed by ministers Vella and Zarif.