Enhanced economic cooperation among state parties to the recent Iran nuclear deal could help ensure its durability, the president says.
About 22 months of talks between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany) led to a nuclear pact on July 14, which will end sanctions in return for temporary constraints on Tehran's nuclear work.
"The sides to the accord should try to fully honor their commitments so all the seven parties benefit from it," Hassan Rouhani was quoted by IRNA as saying.
"Such mutual benefits, together with increased economic cooperation between the parties, including Iran and Germany, can help strengthen the foundation of the agreement."
Rouhani made the remarks in a meeting with visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday.
Highlighting Germany's important role in helping bring the nuclear negotiations to fruition, he noted that "the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [the official title of the pact] is considered a big gain for all parties, setting a good precedent for the resolution of other international conflicts."
The action plan is meant to settle a 12-year dispute over Iran's nuclear program, which the West suspects may be aimed at developing nuclear warheads. Iran has denied this, saying its program is for civilian purposes only. Underscoring the need for a joint effort by all countries to help contain terrorism, Rouhani said, "Improved relations between Iran and Germany could involve bilateral cooperation to help address regional problems, especially terrorism, and restore peace and stability."
He said for efforts to eradicate terrorism to bear fruit, "double standards" should be avoided.
Injecting Vitality
Steinmeier, who is accompanied by a high-level economic delegation and a number of lawmakers, said, "Today, we are here to help restore vitality to top-level relations" between Tehran and Berlin.
He expressed his country's interest in expanding bilateral ties, stressing that the high potential available to foster cooperation should be exploited by the two sides.
On the issue of terrorism in the Middle East, the top German diplomat said, "Naturally, countries have taken different stances on the developments in the region based on their national interests."
"However, for political and moral reasons, we should try our best to arrive at a unanimous position to help effectively address terrorism in the region. We need to overcome barriers to direct talks and cooperation between countries on the issue," he added.
