Zarif, Italian Counterpart Discuss Ties, Regional Developments

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni in a telephone conversation on Monday evening discussed bilateral ties and regional developments.

During the phone talk, Zarif and Gentiloni exchanged views on bilateral ties, regional issues and some other issues of mutual interest.

In a relevant development in mid-April, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stressed that Tehran attaches great importance to its relations with Rome, and called for the rapid implementation of the agreements recently endorsed by the two countries.

‘The Islamic Republic of Iran attaches great importance to its ties with Italy, and Rome’s stances during the hard times of sanctions was balanced compared with some other countries,’ Rouhani told reporters in a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Tehran.

He referred to the endorsement of 36 cooperation documents by both countries during his January visit to Italy and Renzi’s current visit to Iran, and said, ‘Implementation of these 36 documents can create a new path to develop economic relations between the two countries, specially in investment fields and importing new technologies from Italy to Iran.’

Zarif meets AU Commissioner for Peace and Security

Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif and African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security Ismail Sharqi met and conferred in Tehran on Monday.

During the meeting, the two officials discussed issues of mutual interest, common challenges particularly those in the areas of security, terrorism,extremism, piracy, and fight against drug trafficking and peace-keeping missions.

IRNA

R.S