Rouhani says Italy visit could help region’s stability

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani who arrived in Rome on Monday as his first stop on a four-day European trip, said in a press conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi that while the European Union had played a fundamental role in bringing the nuclear negotiations to a successful conclusion, he had chosen Italy as the first destination for his European tour as the two countries share a long-standing friendship.

Stressing that Iran and Italy could cooperate in all areas, President Rouhani said “Iran’s situation is highly significant in terms of security, energy, human resources, human development and geopolitics. What we are talking about here is not only the promotion of bilateral relations but rather Iran can serve as a linking bridge for the whole Middle East.”

“We held very good talks on cooperation in various fields today and the inking of a number of MoUs tonight will be a fresh start in Iran-Italy relations,” said Rouhani.

The President added that the peace and stability in the region was also discussed during the bilateral meeting, saying “we want Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Libya to be safe, and this requires cultural, political and intelligence cooperation. Both Iran and Italy are prepared to help make this objective be realized.”

President Rouhani deemed the JCPOA a suitable model for resolving regional issues, stressing that “our region’s security issues will never be settled through a military approach. This only requires a political one.”

The Italian Prime Minister, for his part, maintained that the contracts signed between the two countries in Rome late Monday was worth up to 17 billion euros ($18.4 billion) in sectors from energy to infrastructure and from steel to shipbuilding and healthcare.

“Given the situation in Europe and the great depression Italy was going through, the implementation of these contracts can once again revive Italy’s economy,” said Mr. Renzi.

The Italian prime minister also responded positively to Rouhani's invitation for a visit to Tehran, saying he would make the visit in the near future.

Heading a 120-strong delegation of business leaders and ministers, Rouhani arrived in Rome on Monday for a two-day visit before flying to France on Wednesday.

This is President Rouhani’s first trip overseas since Tehran’s nuclear deal with the 5+1 group of countries came into effect this month. 

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