FM calls for closer relations with Slovakia

Foreign Minister says relations with Slovakia are currently growing, adding that the two countries should work to pave the way for closer cooperation in various areas, particularly economy.

According to Press TV, in a meeting with Slovak President Andrej Kiska in Bratislava on Thursday, Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran and Slovakia should provide the necessary grounds for improved bilateral economic cooperation, adding that a large business delegation is accompanying him in his trip to that effect.

Cooperation in the banking sector has already started between Iran and Slovakia, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, Zarif added.

“We have good cooperation and consultations with the European Union on regional and international issues, and the Slovak Republic could serve as a good negotiating side in this sphere,” Zarif added.

The top Iranian diplomat also called on the EU to play a more active role in regional issues given the dire humanitarian situation in Syria and Yemen.

Kiska, for his part, praised Iran as a big country and a front runner in the region’s economic field.

He expressed his country’s eagerness to boost relations with Iran, stressing that Tehran-EU relations are moving on the right path.

The Slovak president further noted that the Islamic Republic plays a key role in efforts to establish security and stability in the troubled Middle East region.

Referring to last year’s nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, Kiska said the deal showed that diplomacy can lead to great achievements.

Additionally on Thursday, Zarif sat down with his Slovak counterpart, Miroslav Lajcak. During the meeting the two sides discussed political and economic cooperation besides ways to boost bilateral ties.

The Foreign Ministers of Iran and Slovakia also signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at expansion of political relations between the two countries.

During a press conference following the meeting, the FM said the JCPOA is not a deal between Iran and the US, and other countries such as China and Russia are also among the signatories to the agreement.

“Of course Iran’s options are not limited but our hope and our desire and our preference is for the full implementation of the nuclear agreement, which is not bilateral for one side to be able to scrap,” Reuters quoted Zarif as saying.

He made the remarks in response to a question about the fate of the accord after the election of Donald Trump as the 45th US president.

SS