Iran urges closer relations with Italy

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says Tehran and Rome should turn over a new leaf in mutual relations following the agreement that Iran clinched with the P5+1 group of countries.

“In the post-sanctions era, a new chapter should be opened in cooperation and relations between Iran and the European Union, including Italy,” said the president in a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in New York on Sunday.

On July 14, Iran and the P5+1 countries – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany – finalized the text of an agreement dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in the Austrian capital, Vienna.

Under the JCPOA, limits will be put on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all economic and financial bans against the Islamic Republic.

Italy and Iran should take “practical steps” to further boost mutual cooperation, said President Rouhani, who is in New York to take part in the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The president told Renzi that Tehran would like Rome to invest in Iran, transfer technology to the country and focus on the joint production of goods both for domestic use in the Islamic Republic and for export.

Rouhani then underlined that Mideast crises could reach the “edge of the Mediterranean,” calling for Tehran-Rome cooperation to help ease tensions in the Middle East.

The Italian premier, in turn, said his country will soon dispatch a major economic-trade delegation to Iran, saying he would urge Italian companies to launch joint ventures with Iranian firms for a stronger presence in world markets.

In a separate meeting, President Rouhani told Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu that Tehran and Ankara should forge closer cooperation on different fronts.

“Iran and Turkey have common viewpoints on many global issues, and the relations between the two countries should further expand in all areas,” said Rouhani.

The Iranian president touched upon the crimes committed by terrorists against Muslims in Iraq and Syria, urging cooperation and consultations between Tehran and Ankara to rid the Middle East countries of the problems they are grappling with.

“The Iranian and Turkish governments would like to see the return of tranquility to the region, the elimination of terrorists, the prevention of the disintegration of neighboring countries in the region, the establishment of security and the return home of the displaced,” said President Rouhani.

The Turkish premier, in turn, said his country seeks to pump up trade with Iran to USD 30 billion.

He said Iran-Turkey relations can set an example for other countries, including neighboring states, adding that Tehran and Ankara are on the same page when it comes to fighting terror in the region.

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