Iran President Meets World Leaders on UN General Assembly Sidelines

Local Editor
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani who is New York to attend the 71st meeting of the UN General Assembly said that delivering a speech at the event, meeting the Muslim elite and meeting a number of heads of states are among his itinerary there.
"In my return from 17th Non-Aligned Movement [NAM] Summit meeting I had a short stay in Cuba and will have a short stay here in New York to deliver speeches at the UN General Assembly and among Muslim elite as well as among politicians and those in charge of the think thanks and one or two interviews and several meetings with the heads of the states," President Rouhani told reporters in New York on Tuesday.
President Rouhani arrived in New York on Tuesday to attend the 71st UN General Assembly meeting.
Having stepped in the John F. Kennedy Airport, the president was welcomed by Gholam-Ali Khoshrou Iran's Ambassador and staff of Iran's representative office in the United Nations.
Meetings and talks with a number of senior officials of countries, meetings with political and economic elite and meeting with religious leaders as well as speech in the UN General Assembly fall in the schedule of the president's New York visit.
For the first time, President Hassan Rouhani met with British Prime Minister Theresa May.
During the meeting, Rouhani lauded the increasing relations between Tehran and London, and called the JCPOA a great development and a basis for closer bilateral cooperation.
He also called on all parties of the agreement to fulfill their obligations, added that until all the technical obstacles in banking and insurance services are not removed, the other side's commitments are not implemented. Rouhani said the UK can take the key step in this matter.
Rouhani also held a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi where he stated that during the post-JCPOA era Italy has the opportunity to become Iran's main trade partner in Europe.
"Recent bilateral trips are a turning point in relations and a sign of determination of the two nations and governments to bolster cooperation," said Rouhani.
Prior to visiting New York, the president paid official visit to Cuba, where he met and conferred with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro, Cuban revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro, while attending a joint meeting with senior Iranian and Cuban officials and his Cuban counterpart. The two sides discussed ways of expanding mutual relations.
On January 16, Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia - plus Germany started implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] that they had clinched on July 14, 2015.
Under the nuclear agreement, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in return for the termination of all nuclear-related sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
"Both sides must be committed to the JCPOA's terms that can be bases for increasing regional peace and security," Rouhani added.
The Iranian president also met with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the fringes of the event.
President Rouhani and his accompanying retinue also held a meeting with some of the world religious leaders in New York.
On the first leg of his tour, the president had travelled to Caracas, Venezuela, to attend the 17th NAM Summit, where he delivered a speech to outline Iran's stances. He also met and conferred with a number of officials attending the summit.
Also on Tuesday evening, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held a few meetings with senior officials present in the event, including his Canadian counterpart Stéphane Dion. It was the first of such a meeting since the two countries cut political ties in 2012.
The Iranian president is scheduled to deliver a speech at the General Assembly session and hold talks with senior officials of some other countries attending the meeting. He is also to meet with a number of political and economic elites.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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