Iran ready to expand all-out ties with EU: President Rouhani

Iran is ready to considerably boost cooperation with the European Union, President Rouhani said in a meeting with President of the European Council Donald Tusk Saturday.

“We should plan to promote all-out relations between Iran and the European Union based on mutual interests in the new atmosphere created by the nuclear agreement,” President Rouhani said, adding that sanctions imposed against Iran were wrong right from the beginning.

“The EU member states suffered the most during the sanctions era and in the new era we should renovate and expand Iran-EU relations to compensate for the past,” the president added.

President Rouhani said that swift and precise implementation of the nuclear agreement or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) plays an important role in the expansion of ties, and added, “The executive efforts and preparations for the removal of sanctions needs serious measure by all sides, especially the European Union.”

He recalled the impact of the nuclear agreement on Iran-EU cooperation and the coordination of both sides to resolve regional problems, and said, “We have always had good, traditional relations with the EU, especially with certain EU members; these relations should be revived.”

The European Council president, for his part, underlined the need for expansion of cooperation between Iran and the EU, and said, “Lifting the sanctions is tantamount to choosing cooperation instead of confrontation and also protecting the interests instead of tension.”

Tusk said that the nuclear agreement is an important success for Iran, Europe and the world, and added, “The European Union did its best to make the negotiating bear result and this agreement is the first step for the broadening of cooperation.”

At the meeting, President Rouhani and Tusk also discussed bilateral ties and regional developments.