Tehran, Iran, September 21
By Mehdi Sepahvand –- Trend:
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Canadian counterpart Stéphane Dion met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly four years after the two countries stopped their diplomatic relations in 2012.
Zarif and Dion talked about “mutual relations, regional issues, and consular affairs,” ISNA news agency reported September 21.
After the meeting, Dion updated his Twitter account with a post that read: “First mtg w/ #Iran FM Zarif at #UNGA : addressed status of relations btw two countries in context of Middle East. Discussed consular cases.”
There were no details about the talks, but the conservative Iranian news agency Mashreq raised the possibility that the “consular” part of the talks may have included the Iranian-Canadian Homa Hoodfar who is under arrest in Iran under security charges.
Tehran and Ottawa halted their diplomatic ties after former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper in July 2012 called Iran the “world’s most serious threat to international peace”.
The current Canadian government, however, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has already expressed willingness to improve relations with Tehran.