During a
visit to Tehran, European Parliament chief Martin Schulz has said that
relations between Iran and the European Union (EU) are at a "determining
stage." The comments follow a nuclear deal earlier this year.
Deutsche Welle, 7 Nov 2015
Speaking at
a news conference in the Iranian capital on Saturday, Schulz said the Iran and
its partners in the nuclear deal were "at the implementation stage of this
agreement."
"At
the end of this stage a door can be opened for economic cooperation and
positive economic development," Schulz said.
The EU
announced last month that it had adopted the legal framework to lift sanctions
against Iran, once Tehran has curbed its nuclear activities.
The
announcement came shortly after US President Barack Obama ordered the White
House to also take steps towards lifting sanctions on Iran.
Damaging
sanctions
The EU and
US sanctions have proved to be extremely damaging to Iran, locking up billions
in the country's assets overseas and depriving its oil-dependent economy of
vital technology and investment.
The nuclear
agreement was reached in July this year, after 18 days of grueling talks in the
Austrian capital, Vienna. The deal imposes new provisions for the inspection of
Iranian facilities and aims to keep Iran from producing enough of the fissile
material it would need to make a nuclear bomb.
Iran has
always claimed, however, its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes.
'Key role'
in Syria talks
During his
one-day visit to the Iranian parliament on Saturday, Schulz also said that Iran
plays a "key role" in regional stability, especially in Syria.
"The
Islamic Republic of Iran is an element of stability in a region full of
instability," Schulz said.
"As a
result of terrorism in Syria we are facing an influx of refugees in Europe.
Right now our main and common goal is fighting Daesh," the 'Islamic State'
(IS) group, he said.
In a bid to
end more than four years of conflict in Syria, Iran joined talks with world powers for the first time in Vienna last month. The Syrian regime and the
opposition were not represented.
Both Iran
and Russia support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, while Western
powers have pushed for the leader to step down.
ksb/rc (AFP, dpa)
Related Article:
Iran, major powers trumpet historic nuclear deal (Jul 14, 2015)
 |
US
President Barack Obama, standing with Vice President Joe Biden, delivers
remarks on in the East Room of the White House
in Washington on July 14, 2015,
after an
Iran nuclear deal was reached (AFP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
|
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.