Iran’s FM: Iran Bolstering Cooperation with EU

Iran and the European Union (EU) have strengthened their resolve to enhance relations, Salehi said on Thursday, expressing his optimism that both sides will show their goodwill and move towards clearing up misunderstandings, Fars news agency reported.

Speaking to reporters, the Iranian minister described as "constructive" the outcomes of his two-nation European tour of Slovenia and Austria and his talks with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and Foreign Minister Odein Ajumogobia.

He added that his visits to Slovenia and Austria would prepare the ground for bolstering cooperation with the EU.

He stated that mutual relations, regional developments, human rights, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons were among topics raised during his talks with Slovenian and Austrian officials.

During his day-long visit to the Slovenian capital city of Ljubljana, Salehi held talks with Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar on ways to improve mutual relations and the latest developments in the Middle East and North Africa as well as leading international issues. He also inaugurated the Islamic Republic's first embassy in Ljubljana.

Following his visit to Slovenia, the Iranian minister arrived in the Austrian capital city of Vienna on Tuesday.

While in Vienna, Salehi held separate meetings with senior Austrian officials, including Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger and members of the country's parliament. He also met with Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) Tibor Toth and Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Iran's top diplomat also held talks with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Yukiya Amano. During the hour-long meeting, the two sides agreed to establish a new mechanism to help resolve outstanding issues pertaining to Iran's nuclear issue.

Moreover, Salehi pointed to his short visit to Algeria and talks with Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci and said Tehran and Algiers emphasized that current killings of civilians in Libya, under the pretexts of a civil war or NATO attacks, should be immediately halted.

Referring to 14th foreign ministerial meeting of the Group of Eight Developing Countries (D8), the Iranian minister highlighted the significance of enhanced ties among D8 member states in international fields.

He added that D8 is an economic body that has been established with the purpose of promoting trade and economic cooperation.

He noted that Iran's offer to the D8 to pay more heed to the private sector was welcomed by heads of delegations attending the meeting.