Mohammad Javad Zarif made the remarks at a Monday meeting with his Portuguese counterpart Rui Machete.
He welcomed Portugal’s efforts towards further development of ties with Iran, noting the two countries had the capacity to boost cooperation in various fields, particularly in economy, the private sector, chamber of commerce and tourism.
Zarif deemed positive the current outlook of European countries with regard to N-talks between Iran and the sextet in the sense of their opposition to any new sanctions imposed against the Islamic Republic and added, “Still, the European Union could play a more active and effective role in the nuclear negotiations.”
The Portuguese FM, for his part, called Iran one of the most important regional players having the power and capacity to restore stability and peace in the region.
He also expressed hope the nuclear negotiations may reach a result as soon as possible while stressing Iran’s right to possess peaceful nuclear energy.
The Portuguese FM Rui Machete arrived in Tehran on Monday and met with President Hassan Rouhani, his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif as well as international advisors at various faculties of the University of Tehran.
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MNA
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