TEHRAN Italian Ambassador to Tehran Riccardo Sessa discussed with the Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani on issues of mutual cooperation.

At the meeting, Rafsanjani referred to Italy as Iran's prime economic partner in the European Union and expressed hope that the existing relations between the two countries would further broaden.

Although Iran's relations with other European countries has witnessed many ups and downs, bilateral relations between Iran and Italy has always enjoyed a stable and normal position and never influenced by other global and regional situations.

Referring to Iran's policy to forge greater cooperation with European Union countries, Persian Gulf littoral states, regional countries, he underlined the positive role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in promoting peace and stability in the region and in Caucasus in particular as well as its campaign against drugs.

Underlining the need to give priority to the expansion of commercial and technical relations between Iran and Italy, Rafsanjani said that Iran focuses on medium and small businesses and Italian companies can cooperate and invest in this area.

The Italian ambassador, for his part, pointed to his country's stable foreign policy seeking expansion of relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran during the 1980s and said that Italian companies and institutes have continued their cooperation with Iranian partners even during hardship and are still continuing their cooperation with Iran.

Highlighting historical relations between the two great ancient civilizations, mutual respect for each other's interests, due attention to strategic situations as well as cultural differences between the two countries as effective means for consolidating friendship between Tehran and Rome, he said that expansion of joint economic cooperation can be achieved by deepening political cooperation.