Foreign Service Institute (FSI) Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat received Iran’s Ambassador to the Philippines Mohammad Tanhei, who made his farewell call at the Institute on 31 October 2019.

FSI is a partner of the Islamic Republic of Iran through an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran’s Institute for Political and International Studies.

The MOU, signed in November 2016, seeks the promotion and development in the two institutions’ programs of study and relevant academic activities, among other areas of cooperation.

During the farewell call, Ambassador Mohammad Tanhei proposed that FSI (1) directly establish relations with the Center for Strategic Studies, which is under the Office of the President of Iran, and the Center for Strategic Studies, which is under the Iranian Military and (2) send one or two researchers to Iran as guests of the Iranian people.

OIC Vinzon-Balatbat, meanwhile, committed to send to Iran’s Embassy in Manila a list of possible joint projects that would provide specific activities to implement the MOU.

Director Jason Arriola, who handles Middle East concerns at the Department of Foreign Affairs – Office of Middle East and African Affairs (OMEAA), also attended the farewell call.

Director Arriola said that DFA OMEAA would look into the Iran Embassy’s proposal to pursue cooperation in agriculture and science and technology.