Raisi made the remarks at a joint press conference with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the island nation’s capital Colombo on Wednesday.
He said Iran is willing to supply technical and engineering services to Sri Lanka to help the country boost its economic and industrial infrastructure.
The president made these comments hours after inaugurating a large hydroelectric project in Badulla, located about 230 kilometers east of Colombo. The Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project, worth more than $500 million, has been largely designed and built by Iranian companies to help Sri Lanka overcome its electricity and irrigation problems.
He claimed that Iran had made progress in several fields of technology in recent years despite being subject to a harsh foreign sanctions regime.
He added that Iran and Sri Lanka will soon form an intergovernmental committee to significantly boost their trade and economic ties.
The president of Sri Lanka, for his part, stated in the joint press conference with Raeisi that his country has had the support of Iran to weather a major economic crisis in recent years.
Wickremesinghe highlighted that Sri Lanka and Iran agreed during Raeisi’s visit to the country to cooperate more on issues related to the Indian Ocean and on joint initiatives at the United Nations.
He added that five memorandums of understanding signed earlier in the day between government ministers of Sri Lanka and Iran would lead to further expansion of relations between the two countries.
Raisi arrived in Colombo early Wednesday after a three-day visit to Pakistan and as part of his administration’s campaign to boost ties with Asian countries. The brief visit to Sri Lanka is the first by an Iranian president in 16 years.