Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi has congratulated new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on his election to the top post, saying Tehran and Berlin have the opportunity to benefit from their age-old interactions and forge valuable cooperation.

In a congratulatory message to Scholz on Tuesday, Raeisi said historical relations between Iran and Germany, which date back 150 years and are based on a diversity of great capacities, offered a valuable asset for the expansion of political, economic and cultural ties between the two civilized nations more than before.

The Iranian president said the two countries can make use of such an opportunity to boost beneficial cooperation based on mutual respect and interests.

He drew attention to the major challenges facing the world today at regional and international levels and said, The successful addressing of the challenges requires understanding the shared international responsibility and collective efforts in taking measures that can bring peace, stability and prosperity to the peoples of the world.

Raeisi reiterated the Islamic Republic�s determination to have maximum interactions with all world countries, particularly Germany, and expressed hope Tehran and Berlin would succeed in improving relations during the new chancellor�s tenure.

Scholz was sworn in as Germany�s new Chancellor on December 8, a development that put an end to Angela Merkel�s four terms at the helm of Europe�s largest economy.

Scholz, ex-finance minister and the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), won the secret vote in the Parliament as expected, a culmination of months of negotiations following the SPD�s narrow victory in September�s federal elections.