Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 10
By Fatih Karimov– Trend:
Iranian president said that the Islamic Republic welcomes "freindly and balanced" ties with the UK.
Rouhani made the remarks during a meeting with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in Tehran on Dec. 10, the state-run IRINN TV reported.
He further underlined the necessity for the further development of banking relations and cooperation between Tehran and London in line with the implementation of the nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers, which came into force in 2016.
Rouhani said that the implementation and maintenance of the nuclear deal is important and the Islamic Republic believes that every party, specially the Iranian people, should be able to enjoy the benefits of the JCPOA(Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action aka nuclear deal).
He further said that Tehran-London negotiations could result in closer cooperation for protecting the stability in the region.
Rouhani also underlined “Iran’s constructive role” in war against terrorism in Iraq and Syria.
He also blamed the US president Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, saying the regional situation is such that one should not fan its flames.
The US president’s plan to move the US embassy to Jerusalem was a “wrong decision” that adds fuel to the fire in the region, Rouhani said.
Johnson’s visit is his first to the region as foreign secretary, and the first to Iran by a British foreign secretary since 2015.
Western media reported that during his meeting with Rouhani, Johnson has raised the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British citizen, who is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly plotting against Iran's government.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents.