Former Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern, heading a trade delegation, arrived in Tehran on Tuesday as part of an official visit aimed at broadening trade ties with Iran.
“Expansion of mutual trade with Iran is a must for the EU countries,” Ahren said upon his arrival at the Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA), referring to Iran’s growing influence in the regional and global markets.
“Irish companies are eager to make investment in Iran and I hope this trip will be a starting point for expansion of mutual cooperation,” Ahren said.
Ahern is visiting Iran upon the official invitation of Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, Ali Rabi’ee, and is expected to meet with Iranian government officials and lawmakers during his stay.
He is the second former EU premier to visit Tehran in recent weeks as Iran continues to negotiate with the West over its nuclear energy program. Former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D’Alema visited Tehran in December.
A pragmatic and influential politician, Ahern had previously signaled his support for cooperation between Europe and Iran. During a trade mission to Saudi Arabia at the end of his second term as Irish prime minister in 2007, he said the EU and Iran “should be close partners.”
“Ahren has played a constructive role in EU developments and has often called for balanced relations between Iran and the EU,” said Mohammad Taghi Hosseini, Iran’s deputy minister of cooperatives, labor and social welfare for international affairs, who referred to the visit by the Irish delegation as “an opportunity for both Iranian and European companies to strengthen bilateral ties.”
