Iran’s Mohammad Ali Zolfi and Venezuela’s Gabriela Jiménez-Ramírez held their talks virtually.
Referring to sanctions imposed by the United States against the two countries, Zolfi said that Tehran and Caracas should turn the sanctions into opportunities for growth.
He briefed his Venezuelan counterpart on the scientific development of Iran after the 1979 Islamic revolution victory.
The Iranian minister said that the number of university students was 170,000 before the revolution; currently 3.2 million Iranians are studying at universities across the country.
He also said that more than 80,000 academic board members are involved in research and training, while nearly 50 science and technology parks are hosting researchers.
Although Iran accounts for one percent of the world’s population, the country makes up two percent of the whole scientific production across the globe, Zolfi noted.
Therefore, he added, sanctions can be turned into opportunities and Venezuela can take the same path as well.
Jiménez-Ramírez, on her part, proposed that an exhibition showcasing Iran’s scientific capabilities is held in Venezuela for the Latin American country’s universities and researchers to get familiar with those capabilities.
She said that her country is willing to use Iran’s experience in fields such as health and pharmacology as well as energy and petrochemicals, adding that the ground will be laid for the presence of Iranian knowledge-based companies in Venezuela.
She referred to her previous visits to Iranian universities and said that the Islamic Republic has a high scientific and research capacity.
That is why Caracas welcomes the development of scientific relations with Tehran, the Venezuelan official added.
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