National
0

Call for Expediting Tehran-Paris Deals

President of the French National Assembly Claude Bartolone (L) meets President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran on Sept. 6.
President of the French National Assembly Claude Bartolone (L) meets President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran on Sept. 6.

President Hassan Rouhani said early and accurate implementation of agreements signed between Iran and France will bring about a "tangible development" in their bilateral relations.

"We see progress in the implementation of some of these agreements. Their full enforcement can cause a transformation in Tehran-Paris ties," Rouhani said in a meeting with French National Assembly President Claude Bartolone in Tehran on Tuesday, according to Rouhani's official website.

Late January, Rouhani paid a landmark visit to France, in which he signed an array of economic deals that was estimated to be worth around $33 billion.

It was his first foreign trip since the January 16 implementation of the nuclear deal between Iran and P5+1 (the US, Britain, France, China and Russia, plus Germany) that was concluded in July 2015.

Based on the accord, Iran agreed to place time-bound curbs on its nuclear work, and in exchange, the UN, US and EU undertook to remove their nuclear-related sanctions on Iran.

"The complete and quick fulfillment of the nuclear deal commitments is crucial to building up trust between Iran and the other parties [to the pact] and the development of relations," he said.

Among the agreements signed during Rouhani's France visit was a deal between state-run carrier Iran Air and France-based planemaker Airbus to purchase 118 planes worth at least $25 billion.

Iran later reached another accord with Boeing for the purchase and lease of some 100 aircraft.

Although Iran's access to new planes was part of the nuclear pact, the aircraft deals have been hindered by the reluctance of large financial institutions to finance them, fearing penalization by the United States.

  Backing for French Banks   

Bartolone said the two sides of the nuclear deal have "mutual commitments" and they should ensure the deal is "fully" implemented.

"Iran has honored its obligations," he said. "We seriously seek full implementation of the deal by both sides."

The French speaker underscored the need to materialize economic targets in bilateral cooperation. "We support the efforts of big French banks for cooperation and investment in Iran," he said.

Bartolone arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for a four-day visit, accompanied by members of France-Iran Parliamentary Friendship Group and senior lawmakers on the French Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee.

Earlier in the day, Bartolone met Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Financialtribune.com