Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok expressed regret over the US withdrawal from the Iran 2015 nuclear deal, stressing that all parties must remain committed to the landmark international agreement.
He made the remarks in a meeting with Iran’s Vice-President for Legal Affairs Laya Joneidi who was in the Netherlands on Sunday. The Dutch minister said, “We, as well as other European countries, are working on ways to keep the JCPOA alive,” acknowledging that safeguarding Iran’s interest in the deal with sanctions in place is not possible, ISNA reported.
He was referring to the official name of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, or JCPOA, after the US decided to pull out of the international agreement in early May.
Criticizing the unlawful US move, Joneidi said, “Iran will remain committed to the JCPOA as long as it benefits from it. If not the deal cannot continue”.
PCA Meeting
In a meeting with the Secretary General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, Iran’s vice-president called on the international tribunal to enhance cooperation with Iranian legal institutions.
Joneidi met with the secretary general of the Permanent Court of Arbitration Hugo Hans Siblesz in the Hague on Saturday during which she outline Iran’s long history of working with international organizations in the field of law and called for closer interaction between the PCA and Iran, Mehr News Agency reported on Sunday.
She noted that Iran, as a member of the PCA, is willing to use the specialized services of the international legal body, saying that it would expect the body to provide the country with programs aimed at empowering its legal capabilities.
The PCA head hailed Iran’s experience in international arbitration and its potentials, adding that his body would like to expand relations with the Islamic Republic. The two sides also discussed bilateral cooperation agreements and agreed to focus on each other’s recommendations.
Eurojust Meeting
The vice-president also called on the Eurojust President Ladislav Hamran at the weekend at the agency’s headquarters in The Hague.
She presented the Euriojust president with a report on Iran’s achievements in the fight against organized crime, and voiced readiness on behalf of Iran’s legal organizations to expand cooperation with Eurojust in fighting organized crime and other international legal issues. Hamran said Eurojust is considering plans that could allow the possibility of joint cooperation with Iranian experts and specialists.
The two sides also proposed to draw up cooperation agreements, organize meetings and training programs, as well as exchange legal and judicial delegations.
Eurojust, established in 2002 in The Hague, is an agency of the European Union dealing with judicial cooperation in criminal matters, including serious cross-border and organized crime, among agencies of the member states.
