President Hassan Rouhani discussed bilateral, regional and global issues in separate meetings with the leaders of the UK, Turkey and Italy on Tuesday in New York on the sidelines of the annual session of the UN General Assembly.
He highlighted “friendly” and “brotherly” bilateral relations in his talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying, “We are ready to ramp up cooperation with Ankara in various transport, energy and industrial sectors. We regard the Turkish government and nation as our brothers and Tehran intends to boost ties with Ankara in all domains,” the president’s official website reported.
He stressed the importance of promoting interaction between the two neighbors’ private sectors.
A Turkish military coup in July crumbled after crowds answered Erdogan’s call to take to the streets to support him.
Iran was quick to condemn the move only hours after its launch, reaffirming its support for the Turkish government.
Erdogan thanked the Iranian government for having stood by him during the coup.
“We are confident that Iran will stick to its stance and not abandon its backing for Turkey,” he said.
The Iranian president discussed ways of boosting bilateral economic cooperation in his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
Rouhani noted that Iran’s July 2015 nuclear deal with major powers should be exploited to revive pre-sanctions volumes of bilateral trade.
The historic accord, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, went into effect in January to lure overseas businesses to Iran’s untapped market by lifting economic sanctions in return for curbing its nuclear work.
“Italy has the opportunity in the post-JCPOA era to regain its position as Iran’s largest European trade partner,” Rouhani said.
Renzi expressed his side’s interest in strengthening bilateral relations, saying, “We stand ready to do whatever is required to help reinforce economic ties. We reaffirm our commitment to the action plan and will do our utmost to support [its implementation].”
Challenges to the JCPOA’s full implementation were a subject of discussions between Rouhani and British Premier Theresa May.
Rouhani told May that the Islamic Republic is open to cooperation with the European Union, Britain and other regional players to help address conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.
May pointed to the recent restoration of diplomatic ties between Tehran and London, saying, “We welcome an improvement in all aspects of bilateral ties.”
Rouhani also held a meeting with his French counterpart, Francois Hollande.
