The chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission said the long-standing ties between Iran and France could be used as an "asset" to develop bilateral relations based on "mutual respect".
Lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi made the remark in a Wednesday meeting with President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the French National Assembly Elisabeth Guigou, who was on an official visit to Tehran, ICANA reported.
He expressed Iran's readiness to increase exchange of parliamentary delegations with the European country.
Pointing to "economic" and "commercial" relations as a significant area of collaboration, the lawmaker hoped satisfactory progress would be made given the "positive atmosphere" of the post-sanctions era.
Boroujerdi referred to joint efforts to help solve regional crises as another significant area for expansion of bilateral collaboration and said, "The unpleasant conditions in the region, especially the activity of terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria, are among the major threats to global peace and security."
He called on the international community to take effective action to confront the terrorists to prevent the insecurity created by them from spreading to other countries.
IS Cancer
The French lawmaker said Paris welcomes enhanced cooperation with the Islamic Republic, noting that the recent visit of French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, as the first European foreign minister visiting Iran after the Vienna nuclear deal with major powers, is a sign of France's resolve to increase collaboration with Tehran.
Guigou referred to economic, social, scientific and cultural cooperation as her country's fields of interest for enhanced ties and called for exchange of university instructors and students between the two countries.
She called for measures to elevate the status the French language in Iran and vice versa, adding that the two sides' officials need to hold consultations with a view to realizing the goal.
Describing the so-called Islamic State militant group and other terrorist groups as a "cancerous tumor" in the region, Guigou said one of France's measures in the Middle East has been to fight terrorists who have caused concern for Europe and the world.
"Iran, as a stable country in the region, plays a significant role in fighting terrorism," she said, noting that the atmosphere that has emerged after the nuclear deal can help increase cooperation between Iran and the international community in the anti-terror campaign.
The French foreign minister arrived in Tehran on Wednesday on a one-day visit to hold talks with high-ranking officials, including President Hassan Rouhani.
