Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 20
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
If the nuclear agreement is ratified by Iranian legal authorities, it can open doors toward relations between Iran and western countries, Iran Supreme Leader's Advisor for International Affairs Ali Akbar Velayati said.
He made the statement in a meeting with the former French defense minister Jean-Pierre Chevènement in Tehran, Iran's Mehr news agency reported on September 19.
Iranian and French nations are optimistic about each other, Velayati said, adding that both Iran and France respect territorial integrities of regional countries, and believe that problems in the countries should be settled through dialogue, not military attacks.
Chevènement, for his part, said: "The nuclear agreement will provide the two countries with the opportunity to positively interact." President Francois Hollande has a friendly and open mind toward Iran, he added.
In July, French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said that resuming the relations between Iran and France should include regional and global issues, as according to Fabius, France and Iran have common interests in fighting extremism and terrorism.
He also called the nuclear agreement between Iran and P5+1 (achieved on July 14) an accord for "security and stability in the region and world".
The French FM also mentioned his so called "tough position" in nuclear negotiations, saying that the reason was that Iran's nuclear is not an unimportant issue, as France supports peaceful nuclear developments, not the creation of a nuclear bomb.
He also called France's position in nuclear talks constructive, saying that Paris is strongly against proliferation of nuclear arms.