Zarif urges Canada to facilitate Iranian expats’ participation in polls

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called on Canada to lay the ground for the Iranian nationals residing in the North American country to cast their votes in the forthcoming presidential election.

“Iranians living abroad are extremely keen to participate in the determination of their countries’ future,” Zarif said in a phone call with Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland on Tuesday.

He added that the Iranians in Canada have made repeated request to take part in the presidential election on May 19.

Freeland, for her part, commended the positive presence of the Iranian communities in her country and said the Canadian government is mindful of the significance of the presidential election for the Iranian residents.

She, however, added that some “technical issues” should be discussed and settled given the absence of political relations between Tehran and Ottawa, closure of Iranian diplomatic sites, and Canada’s domestic regulations on polls involving other countries’ citizens.

SS