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Iran, Britain have a lot to do together - Iranian, British FMs presser

Politics Materials 23 August 2015 20:44 (UTC +04:00)
British Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond has listed a long array of issues his country plans to do in cooperation with Iran.
Iran, Britain have a lot to do together - Iranian, British FMs presser

Tehran, Iran, August 23

By Tamkin Jafarov, Mehdi Sepahvand -- Trend:

British Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond has listed a long array of issues his country plans to do in cooperation with Iran.

"Iran is and will remain an important country in an important and highly volatile region," Hammond said during a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, Trend correspondent in Tehran reported August 23.

Pointing to growing relations between Iran and Britain since President Hassan Rouhani came to power, Hammond stressed the role of dialogue in creating a friendlier atmosphere.

He also commented on the reopening of the two countries' embassies earlier the day and counted the event as a great step in strengthening mutual ties.

The coming months must provide the opportunity to make sure that the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal) is fully implemented, he stressed.

The time ahead will also be an opportunity to ensure growing economic ties, the British FM stated.

Hammond also underlined that Iran and the UK need to work on issues of shared concern, including regional unrest, drugs, and illegal migration.

What is important is that now the two countries have found a channel through which to talk, he said.

Hammond is in Tehran both on political and economic agenda. Earlier the day, he reopened the British Embassy in Tehran.

The British and Iranian embassies reopened simultaneously after four years of dead-lock diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In 2011, Britain closed its embassy in Tehran after its premises were stormed by Iranian students who also took down the British flag.

Tehran said then that the students were angry with Britain for having stirred opposition in the wake of the disputed 2009 presidential elections.

Despite reopening the embassies, the two countries will continue their diplomatic relations at the charges d'affaires level.

Hammond is also leading a trade delegation to Tehran in line with Britain's attempts to catch up with other European countries which have already sent many economic delegations to Iran to seek a place in the post-sanctions Iranian market.

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