Ould Abdel Aziz receives Iranian VP

Mauritanian president, Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz, received Thursday at the presidential palace in Nouakchott Mohammed Reza Mirtajedini, the Iranian vice-president.  The two are expected to hold talks with Ould Abdel Aziz, to discuss many economic and political issues, including regional and international situation, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa region. The Iranian vice president said in a press conference today that he is visiting Mauritania in order to deliver a formal invitation from Dr Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to the Mauritanian President Ould Abdel Aziz, to attend the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit scheduled on August 30 to 31 in Tehran.  Mirtajedini added that the summit will be active and influential in order to deepen the ties between independent countries, such as Mauritania. The Iranian vice-president said the Islamic Republic and the West African country's relationship has improved over the past few years and pointed to Iran's interest in the development of these relations in many areas, including industrial, agriculture and technology.