Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.20
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says his country needs Iran's help to develop its construction industry.
"We need to develop our construction materials industry, which is vital if there is to be an explosion in housing construction," Maduro said in a meeting with Iranian Industry Minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, Tasnim news agency reported on September 20.
Iranian minister traveled to Venezuela for a three-day visit as part of a high-level delegation attending Iran-Venezuela Joint Commission meeting.
The Commission focused on improving links in the areas of culture, sports, education and youth exchanges, industry, science, technology, health, energy, agriculture, housing and bilateral trade.
Venezuela and Iran currently have 265 bilateral agreements, but the foreign minister has stated more cooperation between the two nations is essential.
The country, after China (with $45 billion worth of contracts) ranks first in terms of the number of contracts with Iran, but these contracts mostly faced delay or cancellation.
In June 2013, Venezuelan Housing Minister Ricardo Molina said that Iran will construct a total of 3,456 housing units in Valencia city of the central Carabobo state, IRNA reported.