Ahmadinejad to visit east African states next month

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans to visit a number of East African states in late May.President Ahmadinejad's tour of East Africa next month will take place as a second part of his recent visit to Benin, Ghana and Niger in West Africa.Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Wednesday that the exact date and destinations of President Ahmadinejad's visit to East Africa will be announced after finalizing the itinerary.Salehi said Tehran attaches much significance to the expansion of bilateral ties with Africa, adding that Iran has embassies in more than 30 African countries.Zimbabwe is one of the Eastern African states that President Ahmadinejad will probably visit next month.On Wednesday, Ahmadinejad ended his tri-nation tour of Africa which took him to Niger, Benin and Ghana.Iran and the three Western African states inked different MoUs in economic, cultural, academic and agricultural fields during President Ahmadinejad's visit.Tehran has prioritized promotion of its economic and political ties with the African states and the country is now considered as one of the African Union's strategic partners.Tehran's efforts to boost ties and cooperation with Africa have led to its acceptance as an observing member of the African Union (AU), where it has shown an active presence in the AU summit meetings.