French Senate President Gerard Larcher says he sees prospects for "stronger relations" between Tehran and Paris.
The top French senator made the remark in a joint press conference after meeting Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani in Tehran on Saturday, IRNA reported.
"In the meeting with Mr. Larijani, we discussed efforts to promote parliamentary relations and the meeting could usher in an era of stronger relations between Iran and France," Larcher said.
He said President Hassan Rouhani's planned trip to France on January 27-28 could give a boost to bilateral economic ties in view of the fact that sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program are expected to be lifted by that time.
The July 14 nuclear agreement between Iran and major powers, expected to place time-bound constraints on Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, will take full effect once Iran has carried out a set of agreed nuclear-related measures. Tehran has announced it will complete the implementation of the commitments in the next few weeks.
Pointing to the resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council on Friday to endorse a roadmap for the Syria peace process, which sets out a timeline for a political transition in the war-ravaged Arab country, the French lawmaker said the resolution paves the way for the settlement of the crisis through political means.
The Majlis speaker said the two officials held "constructive" and "forward-looking" talks on Syria, stressing that the campaign against terrorism demands "strong resolve."
The top lawmaker said France has every right to engage in efforts to combat terrorism in the Middle East due to the fact that it has recently been the target of terrorist attacks by supporters of militant groups operating in the region.
Larcher who arrived in Tehran on Saturday on a four-day visit is also scheduled to meet Rouhani, Chairman of Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
