Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran and Venezuela will stand together despite US efforts against the expansion of ties between Tehran and Caracas, Press TV reported.
After a meeting with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in the capital Caracas on Monday, Ahmadinejad also said that the days are numbered for the world's "hegemonic powers".
"The Venezuelan and Iranian people are on the way to fighting all the greed and arrogance of imperialism," he told reporters outside the Miraflores presidential palace.
"I thank God that I am seeing my dear brother President Chavez, who has become the leader and the flag-bearer for all the nations of the region. As always, decisively and with a strong will, with his eye on the horizon, he is willing to serve the Venezuelan people and the world," Ahmadinejad added.
The Iranian president also said the two countries will cooperate to improve justice and equality throughout the world.
Chavez, for his part, said, "There's a desire for our governments to keep working together... to slow down the imperialist madness that has now been unleashed more than ever."
During his stay in Caracas, President Ahmadinejad also held a meeting with Iranian businessmen in Venezuela, and said that the Islamic Republic should have an active role in international economy.
Ahmadinejad arrived in Caracas on the first leg of his tour of several Latin American countries. His stay in Venezuela will be followed with a trip to Nicaragua to attend the inauguration of its recently re-elected leader Daniel Ortega.
During his five-day trip, President Ahmadinejad will also visit Cuba and Ecuador and hold talks with senior officials of both countries on the further expansion of bilateral relations.
The US warned Latin American states on Friday against further expansion of diplomatic and business ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran, expressing concerns over "Iran's outreach to the Western Hemisphere."
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