Tehran, Iran, June 30
By Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has described his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron as very successful.
Ending his European tour, he said during the meeting in Paris, the two sides exchanged views on how to follow the expansion of bilateral economic ties effectively, IRIB news agency reported June 30.
According to Zarif, security concerns in the Middle East, the Syrian crisis in particular, were another area of discussion.
Zarif held talks with Macron in Elysee Palace on Friday and submitted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's written message to him.
Zarif, who was on a five-day trip to Europe, met Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni before meeting Macron.
On Thursday, Zarif also held a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. During the meeting, Zarif called for expanding the banking relations between the two countries.
Iran is seeking closer ties with France in various areas, especially economy, Zarif stated.
For his part, Le Drian expressed support for implementation of the nuclear agreement, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which went into force in January 2016.
After his meeting with Zarif, Le Drian tweeted that he will follow the path of dialogue with Iran.
Zarif also held a separate meeting with Gerard Larcher, the president of the French Senate.
Larcher said France attaches great importance to ties with Iran and is willing to have “continuous political consultations” with it.
Zarif, who started his tour of Europe on Monday, first visited Germany, where he addressed the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and held talks with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Federal Minister of Finance Wolfgang Schauble.
After concluding his visit to Germany, Zarif headed to Rome, Italy, holding talks on bilateral relations with Prime Minister Gentiloni on Wednesday.
In a separate meeting with President of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy Laura Boldrini, Iran’s chief diplomat called for ways to expand relations.
Zarif invited Boldrini to visit Iran. He also met separately with Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano.