Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says Tehran is prepared to further upgrade its mutual relations with Rome and discuss with the Italian government regional developments, including the crisis in Syria.

In a telephone conversation with his Italian counterpart Emma Bonino on Tuesday, Salehi discussed Iran-Italy relations.

The Iranian foreign minister pointed to Iran’s role in the Middle East, urging both Tehran and Rome to forge ahead with consultations on regional developments.

Salehi further thanked Italy for its stance on Iran’s 11th presidential election.

On June 16, Bonino sent a congratulatory message to Iranian President-elect Hojjatoleslam Hassan Rohani and expressed hope for the further expansion of Tehran-Rome relations under his presidency.

Also on Monday, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano extended his most sincere congratulations to Rohani, calling for stronger relations between Rome and Tehran.

Hojjatoleslam Rohani emerged victorious in the presidential election of June 14, which was marked by a high voter turnout, winning 50.7 percent of a total of 36,704,156 ballots counted.

The voter turnout in the election was 72.7 percent, according to Iran’s Interior Ministry.

Nearly 50.5 million Iranians, including more than 1.6 million first-time voters, were eligible to participate in the presidential, and city and village Islamic council elections.
 

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