Iranian Navy Commander Meets Japanese, Italian Counterparts in China

TEHRAN (defapress)- Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi held separate meetings with his Japanese and Italian counterparts in China on Thursday, stressing Tehran's enthusiasm for the further expansion of ties and cooperation with the two friendly states.

News ID: 77030

Date: 25 April 2019 - 18:43

The meetings were held on the sidelines of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Italy in the port city of Qingdao.

In his meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Rear Admiral Khanzadi referred to the visit of Japanese navy commander and his accompanying delegation to Iran last year, saying that the Iranian Naval vessels will pay a visit to Japanese ports.

He said that last year’s visit of Japanese naval delegation laid the ground for expanding bilateral relations between the two navies.

Praising the great civilization of Japan and the Japanese people for being hardworking and for their bravery, the Iranian Army navy commander went on to admire the Iranian naval forces’ experiences and hard work as well.

Referring to the cruel sanctions imposed by the US, Khanzadi said that Iran with a mixture of the Iranian and Islamic civilizations will resist foreign pressures.

Japanese Navy Commander Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, for his part, pointed to the sailing of the Japanese naval forces in the Persian Gulf, stressing that the Japanese navy will definitely visit the Iranian ports again.

Yamamoto further welcomed exchange of students of the maritime academic centers of the two countries, describing the move as important to expand bilateral relations between naval forces.

In a separate meeting, Rear Admiral Khanzadi met with the commander of Italian naval forces, during which he referred to the visit of the Italian naval forces to Iranian ports.

Khanzadi added that Iranian naval fleets will embark on a visit to Italia's Southern ports.

The Iranian naval commander also expressed his gratitude to the Italian maritime academy to accept Iranian maritime students, stressing that exchange of students will definitely have significant role in enhancing mutual cooperation in various fields.

The Italian navy commander, in turn, invited Khanzadi to attend a maritime summit in Italy in the future. He also expressed the preparedness of his country to welcome the visit of Iranian naval fleet.

The Iranian Navy has an active presence in the international waters and has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.

According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can send their warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia against the pirates and even with prior notice to Somali government enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates.

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