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Zarif: Iran, EU mulling co-op in post-nuclear deal era (UPDATE-3)

Politics Materials 16 April 2016 15:51 (UTC +04:00)
Iran and the EU are discussing the cooperation in the post-nuclear deal era, said Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
Zarif: Iran, EU mulling co-op in post-nuclear deal era (UPDATE-3)

Tehran, Iran, Apr. 16

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Iran and the EU are discussing the cooperation in the post-nuclear deal era, said Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

He made the remarks at a joint press conference with the visiting EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini in Tehran Apr. 16, Trend's correspondent reports from the event venue.

Zarif said the European Union's cooperation with Iran in implementing the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, aka nuclear deal) will benefit the EU in both economic and political areas.

Iran and the EU will cooperate jointly to remove the obstacles to full implementation of the nuclear deal, Zarif said, adding the two parties will discuss the cooperation in the peaceful nuclear area, which is envisaged by the JCPOA.

The economic and financial cooperation, as well as opening an EU office in Tehran, are on the agenda of the mutual talks, he added.

Iranian FM also said the fight against extremism and terrorism, and the refugee crisis will also be discussed during the EU delegation's ongoing visit.

Zarif added that Iran and the EU will hold fundamental talks on fighting terrorism and drug trafficking, and human rights issues in the future.

He said four statements will be issued at the end of the talks - the statements on roadmap of cooperation, peaceful nuclear cooperation, energy cooperation, and the statement on cooperation in scientific and research fields.

The Iran-EU cooperation will help Iran's development, as well as peace in the crisis-hit region, the top Iranian diplomat underlined.

Regarding Iran's recent missile tests, Zarif said that Iran's missiles are only for defensive purposes.

Iran's missiles are not designed to carry nuclear warheads and have nothing to do with the JCPOA or the UN Security Council Resolutions, he stressed.

In March this year, Iran test-fired several ballistic missiles from several bases across the country as part of massive missile drills.

While a couple of Western and regional states claim that the recent tests have violated a UN resolution, Iranian officials have constantly reiterated that Tehran's ballistic missile tests do not violate the nuclear deal reached with the P5+1, and are not in breach of a United Nations Security Council resolution.

Paragraph 3 of Annex B of resolution 2231 (2015), adopted by the UN Security Council on July 20, 2015, endorsing the JCPOA, calls upon Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear warheads, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Zarif said the Iranian people are to see the result of nuclear agreement as soon as possible.

He underlined that the other parties, in particular the US, should in practice fulfill their obligations under the nuclear deal.

Further during his speech, Zarif said Iran will put pressure on the US to pave the path for cooperation of non-American banks with Tehran, adding that Washington should do more to remove obstacles to Iran's banking system.

Earlier, Valiollah Seif, the head of Iran's central bank, accused the US and the EU of failing to honor the JCPOA by keeping Iran locked out of the international financial system.

"In general, we are not able to use our frozen funds abroad," Seif said Apr. 15 at the Council on Foreign Relations in the US.

Mogherini arrived in Tehran, Iran, Apr. 16 on a one-day visit heading a high-ranking political and economic delegation comprised of seven European commissioners.

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