Iran, Luxemburg stress observance of nuclear deal

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (R) and Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn meet in Tehran, February 14, 2017.

Iran and Luxembourg have laid emphasis on the need for all the parties to a multilateral nuclear deal between Iran and six other countries to comply with their contractual obligations.

President Hassan Rouhani of Iran and Luxembourg’s visiting Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn stressed the importance of continued commitment to the deal on the part of the relevant parties during a meeting in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Tuesday.

Luxembourg’s top diplomat is in the Iranian capital at the head of a high-ranking political delegation.

Rouhani said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the agreement is officially known, was an accord devised and signed based on the “win-win” approach.

“Today, all should try to sustain this agreement,” the Iranian president said, adding that the Islamic Republic will keep honoring its commitments as per the deal as long as the other parties keep honoring theirs.

Asselborn said his country supported the agreement as did the rest of the European Union (EU)’s members.

“In a multilateral agreement, all should act on their obligations. Peace does not come about in the absence of multilateralism and a lack of care for multilateral agreements,” he said.

The JCPOA was reached between Iran on the one side, and the US, the UK, France, Germany, China, and Russia on the other. The administration of US President Donald Trump, which took over on January 20 this year, has threatened to unilaterally scrap it but faces pressure from the rest of the parties, which say the deal must stand.

Read more:

• Iran elucidates US violations of JCPOA
• West must make up for lapses after JCPOA: Iran
• JCPOA belied claims against Iran: Rouhani

During the meeting with Asselborn, President Rouhani also said that consultation and cooperation between Iran and Europe can help better deal with such problems as terrorism and extremism that are faced by all countries.

The Islamic Republic can also serve as both an energy source for Europe and a means of connecting it to the Indian Ocean and East Asia, Rouhani noted.

Asselborn stressed Iran’s importance for the EU and the country’s “important and influential role in resolving regional issues.”

Both sides also stressed their respective countries’ willingness to expand bilateral ties.

Back in October last year, Luxembourg’s Economy Minister Etienne Schneider visited Iran and held talks with his Iranian counterpart Ali Tayyeb-Nia on the further expansion of economic cooperation between the two countries in the near future.

Also on Tuesday, Asselborn and Tayyeb-Nia signed an agreement on encouraging mutual investments. The deal provides legal guarantees for the countries’ businessmen.

The European official also announced the finalization of an agreement on cooperation between the two sides’ Central Banks.