TEHRAN (FNA)- South African Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Hubert Jonas investigated avenues of broadening Tehran-Pretoria relations with Iranian officials in Tehran on Saturday.
The visiting African deputy minister met his Iranian counterpart during his two-day stay Tehran.
Jonas' visit to Tehran followed the 6th Meeting of Iran-South Africa Joint Political Commission held on August 29-30.
The meeting was headed by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian in the Political and International Studies Office of Iran's foreign ministry.
In addition to Jonas, South Africa's Deputy Foreign Minister Nomaindiya Mfeketo, Deputy Energy Minister Thembisile Majola and Deputy Minister of State Security Ellen Molekane as well as 30 general directors from different ministries in South Africa attended the session.
The meeting was aimed at exploring avenues to put into force the ratifications of the Joint Commission between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of South Africa, held in Tehran in May 2015.
Iran-South Africa Joint Political Commission holds its meetings biannually in Tehran or Pretoria.
In March, a South African delegation who visited Iran to discuss ways for the further expansion of economic ties with Tehran, underlined Cape Town's enthusiasm for increasing investment in Iran.
"There are different grounds for the development of trade cooperation between the two countries and South Africa can be a gate for Iran's presence in the big African market," South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane who headed her country's delegation to Tehran said, addressing a joint meeting with Iran's Chamber of Commerce on May 11.
"South Africa and the Islamic Republic of Iran are natural economic partners and are ideal gates for each other's presence in their respective regions," she added.