Iran’s New FM, EU Foreign Policy Chief Discuss Mutual Ties, JCPOA, Afghanistan

By Staff, Agencies

Iran’s new Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and the European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, discussed a series of issues on Friday, including the relations between Tehran and the EU, the Vienna talks for the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA], and the situation in Afghanistan.

Amir Abdollahian and Borrell held a telephone conversation on Friday.

Congratulating the Iranian diplomat on taking office, Borrell expressed the European Union’s readiness to promote cooperation with Iran and said the participation of the EU’s representative in the inauguration of Iranian President Sayyed Ebrahim Raisi signifies the union’s resolve to broaden the ties.

Highlighting the role of the European Union as the coordinator of the Vienna talks about revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, Borrell expressed hope that the new Iranian administration would announce its desired date for the next round of the Vienna meetings.

He also referred to the developments in Afghanistan as a new challenge for the region and the world, stressing the need for serious cooperation to handle the issue of Afghan refugees.

Amir Abdollahian, for his part, reaffirmed the country’s commitment to “constructive dialogue and interaction within the framework of balanced diplomacy,” describing the negotiations as a tool in exercising diplomacy.

“The negotiations that produce tangible and practical results and come with the fulfillment of the rights and interests of [Iranian] people would be acceptable to Iran,” Amir Abdollahian underlined.

He also made it clear that the Iranian administration is bound to carry out the Parliament’s law on the nuclear activities, emphasizing that the JCPOA parties must prove the real fulfillment of their commitment in the course of any negotiation.

Amir Abdollahian further said that the solution to the problems in Afghanistan will be the formation of an inclusive government that would reflect that country’s ethnic and demographic makeup, adding, “It is the Afghan people who must decide their future by themselves.”

Noting that Iran already hosts more than 3.5 million Afghan people, the foreign minister said the new wave of refugees fleeing Afghanistan is a serious issue whose settlement requires cooperation from other countries and international organizations.