国际英语新闻：Iran, Venezuela sign agreements, call ties strategic

TEHRAN, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Venezuela signed several agreements during Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's visit to Tehran, which ended on Wednesday, and called their developing ties strategic.

Heading a delegation of economists and politicians, Chavez arrived in Tehran on Monday for talks on diverse areas of cooperation with Iran.

On Wednesday, the ministers of the two countries signed 11 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on promoting cooperation on oil, natural gas, textiles, trade and public housing projects, the local satellite Press TV reported Thursday.

Picture released by the Venezuelan Presidency showing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (L) and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad chatting after signing agreements at the presidential palace in Tehran. Chavez left Iran late Wednesday after signing 11 deals focused on energy cooperation between the two major oil producers who are foes of the United States, state television said.

During Chavez's visit, Iran hosted energy talks with Venezuela as part of the two sides' efforts to boost bilateral cooperation on oil, gas and petrochemical industries.

Tehran and Caracas agreed to form a joint oil shipping company and set up petrochemical plants, said the report.

According to the agreement, Venezuela's state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA will participate in the exploitation of Iran's South Pars gas field, said Press TV.

Both countries also agreed to construct a refinery plant in Syria and to cooperate in liquefied natural gas (LNG) and in the petrochemical and energy sectors, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Iranian Minister of Housing Ali Nikzad told IRNA that three Iranian firms are commissioned to construct 35,000 residential units in Venezuela within an appropriate span of time.

Nikzad said that an Iranian firm has already constructed 10,000 residential units in Venezuela, according to IRNA.

"The two countries' relations have always been important and brotherly, but now after our last rounds of talks in Tehran and the reached agreements, they have been improved to a strategic level," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said during a meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart on Wednesday.

Ahmadinejad also said that the two countries are seeking a new global order whereby changes could be brought about to the world, IRNA reported Thursday.

Both Iran and Venezuela are "determined for overthrowing the unjust ruling system of the world and for the establishment of a new world order based on the rules of justice," he was quoted as saying.