Iran’s FM Zarif to visit Italy, Azerbaijan this week

According to Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi, Zarif will head to Italy on Thursday to attend the third edition of the Rome MED-Mediterranean Dialogues, which builds upon pillars of shared security and prosperity as well as civil society, culture and migration.

According to PressTV, Qassemi said that the Iranian foreign minister, who will attend the event at the invitation of his Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano, will be a keynote speaker in the conference.

The conference is an annual high-level initiative co-organized by the Italian Foreign Ministry and the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI). The event aims to draft a "positive agenda" for the Mediterranean region by stimulating debate and new ideas, rethinking traditional approaches and addressing shared challenges at the regional and international levels.

The third edition of the Rome MED - Mediterranean Dialogues is scheduled to be held in Rome from 30 November to December 2.

Zarif will then leave Rome for the Azeri capital Baku on Friday to take part in the Heart of Asia Conference.

The conference, mainly focused on Afghanistan, provides a framework for development of friendly and fruitful regional cooperation with the aim of reinforcing regional peace and prosperity, Qassemi said.

He said the conference, which is organized to create a path to address the challenges Afghanistan is facing and the common interests it shares with its neighbors and regional partners, is annually held in one of the participating countries.

He added that the Heart of Asia Conference includes 14 participating and 17 supporting countries, as well as 12 international and regional organizations.