Iran, EU ‘to hold general talks in Brussels’

Foreign Ministry says an Iranian delegation composed of deputy foreign ministers are to hold general talks with European Union (EU) officials in Brussels in December.

According to Press TV, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi announced the prospective negotiations on Monday, saying the talks will cover a range of issues, possibly human rights, but asserted that the delegation would not be comprising a human rights team.

“Our ties with Europe are fundamental and age-old and we have numerous commonalities and can even differ on issues that have to do with values and regional affairs,” he said.

Talks between Iran and Europe have existed in the past, too, and “given the inherent capacities of Iran and the capacities of Europe, they will continue,” Qassemi said.

“Our outlook on the issue of human rights through [the prism of] Islam has a special characteristic, which may not be comprehensible to some of them (the Europeans); [but] we can hear about their outlook and tell them about ours, too,” the Iranian official said.

Qassemi further said that the Islamic Republic had generally maintained good relations with most European countries, with the exception of the past years, during which sanctions had put relations in a certain condition.

“Today, with the removal of the sanctions, the two sides are engaging in recurrent consultations in different areas,” he said.

SS