THERAN - Iran and Saudi Arabia have underlined the need to further expand their cooperation and joint investment in the fields of health, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment.
Iran’s Health Minister MUhammadreza Zafarqandi and his Saudi counterpart, Fahad Abdulrahman al-Jalajel, called for promotion of ties in the health sector during a meeting held on the sidelines of the Global Health Exhibition in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Tuesday.
Both ministers expressed satisfaction with the growing trend of interactions between the two countries in the health sector, stressing the need for the development of joint cooperation in scientific, academic, research, and educational fields.
The agreement includes exchanging university professors and students, holding joint congresses and specialized conferences, and boosting ties between Iranian and Saudi medical universities.
Zafarqandi and al-Jalajel also underlined the need for promotion of joint investments in the pharmaceutical sector, medical equipment, and health infrastructure, as well as mutual benefit from each other’s experience and capabilities in these areas.
The two ministers also reviewed the draft memorandum of understanding on health cooperation and emphasized the need to expedite the finalization of the document.
Stressing the importance of expanding health and science diplomacy, Zafarqandi invited his Saudi counterpart to pay an official visit to Tehran to continue bilateral discussions aimed at deepening health-centered cooperation.
The Iranian health minister is visiting the Arab kingdom at the head of a delegation of senior officials from the Islamic Republic’s pharmaceutical and medical equipment sectors to attend the 8th Global Health Exhibition 2025, being held in Riyadh.