The close relations between Iran and Poland are rooted in history and the sheltering of 120,000 Poles, who made their way to Iran through the former Soviet Union's borders during the dark days of the Second World War, which will never be erased from memories, the speaker of the Polish Senate says.
Bogdan Michal Borusewicz made the remark during a joint press conference following talks with Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, IRNA reported.
Appreciating Iran's hospitality, the top Polish lawmaker reiterated, "A sense of optimism prevails in Poland with respect to Iran and Iranians which has nothing to do with politics but has roots in age-old bonds."
"Parliamentary diplomacy plays a key role in strengthening relations between the two countries," Borusewicz said, adding that his talks with Larijani revolved around economic cooperation as there is an enormous untapped potential to be exploited in this area.
On the prospect of expanding economic ties, he asserted, "I come from a port city called Gdansk where a refinery was built to process the imported oil from Iran, yet it is being used to process Russia's oil."
On ways to defuse regional conflicts, Borusewicz believes that "Syrian political forces" ought to shoulder the responsibility to restore peace and foreign intervention will only aggravate the situation.
Stressing the need for adoption of a unified policy by the European Union to settle the migrant crisis, triggered by war and misery in the Middle East and North Africa, the lawmaker noted, "The refugees fleeing from war are living a wretched life which has nothing to do with their beliefs; further, emergency measures need to be taken to curb terrorism."
Investors Welcome
Pointing to his negotiations with Borusewicz, Larijani stated, "We are glad that a high-ranking economic European delegation is visiting Iran to boost its cooperation with our country through investing in such areas as oil, natural gas as well as ship and railroad car building industries."
According to the Majlis speaker, the two sides called for ratification of rules to eliminate double taxation to pave the way for mutual investment.
"On regional concerns, the chaotic situation in the war-ravaged Middle East was discussed," the Iranian lawmaker said, stressing that it is too early to tell how accurate Russian attacks on positions of extremists in Syria are.
He added that consultations were held with Iran with respect to formation of an anti-terror coalition prior to Russian air raids, which started last month.
Larijani expressed hope that such trips could play a key role in helping promote cultural, academic and political relations.
Growing Trend
In a separate meeting with Borusewicz, President Hassan Rouhani said, "Iran's relations with the EU will certainly experience a growing trend in the post-sanctions era and Poland, as a close partner to Iran, can definitely play a major role in helping achieve the goal."
Describing the conclusion of the July 14 nuclear accord between Iran and major powers as positive, the Polish speaker noted, "We believe that the next step in cooperation should be concentration of efforts to fight terrorism."
According to Rouhani, Iran's nuclear negotiations were indicative of the fact that many tensions can be resolved diplomatically on condition that countries demonstrate strong determination when addressing disputes.
Heading a high-ranking delegation, Borusewicz arrived in Tehran on Friday at Larijani's invitation.
