France to boost ties with sanction-free Iran

Tehran, July 29 (IANS/EFE) Iran and France will deepen bilateral political and economic relations in the "near future", once the historic nuclear agreement is implemented, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and his Iranian counterpart Mohamad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday.

Fabius arrived in Tehran on an official visit just 15 days after Tehran finalised the nuclear deal with the P5+1 -- the US, France, China, Britain, Russia plus Germany.

He met Zarif and President Hassan Rouhani with the aim of reviving bilateral political and economic ties.

In a joint press conference, the two ministers summarised issues that were previously avoided for the sake of finding an agreement over Iran's controversial nuclear programme and lifting Western sanctions on the country.

"The political talks which were restricted to the nuclear issue were extended to other areas, including campaign against extremism and terrorism as well as cooperation in environment and nuclear fields," Zarif said.

The Iranian minister said the implementation of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will pave the way for strengthening relations in transportation, energy and manufacturing cars with France.

For Fabius, Iran and France have "common interests" in the fight against terrorism, while JCPOA was an agreement designed precisely to strengthen peace and tranquillity in the region and the world.

Fabius's visit, the first by a French foreign minister to Iran in 12 years, came just a day after European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini arrived in the country, who also announced the start of a "new chapter" in relations with Iran and the start of dialogue and cooperation in social, economic, political and security issues.

The French foreign minister's arrival was marked by controversy in the Iranian media, however, particularly among conservatives, who demanded that the minister apologise for France's role in the sale of HIV-contaminated blood to Iran in the 1980s, when Fabius was prime minister.

--IANS/EFE

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