Iran’s Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani held a meeting with visiting former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder on Monday in the Iranian capital city of Tehran.
Shamkhani deemed the approaching day of JCPOA implementation a perfect opportunity for expediting economic cooperation with European countries, especially Germany, adding “the Islamic Republic’s stabilizing policies in the region as well as its efforts to create secure conditions for investment and doing business have attracted the interest of many foreign companies to invest in the country’s projects."
The senior official then highlighted the need for preventing any attempts by regional and international malicious and destructive elements, such as Saudi Arabia, Israel and extremist neo-conservatives in US, in regard to the implementation of the nuclear agreement dubbed JCPOA; “unlike certain lobbying and American officials who see their survival and interests in creating crisis and conflicts for others, Iran is keen on expanding relations to settle crises,” he added.
“Saudi Arabia’s propagandist approach in rallying Arab and Islamic countries against Iran under the pretext of the embassy attack, while having failed in its agenda, has definitely not been in line with constructive purposes,” he said.
Shamkhani further added that the Islamic Republic is ready to expand cooperation with Germany in exchanging technologies and advanced knowledge in the field of nano, nuclear, energy and knowledge-based companies.
Schröder, for his part, hailed Iran’s effective measures in the political, security and military domains in combating terrorist threats, and called for the promotion of economic, trade and cultural cooperation between Tehran and Berlin in the post-JCPOA era.
The German official condemned the execution of Sheikh Nimr by Saudi Arabia, calling the act contrary to stabilizing policies and relieving tension; “Germany and any other European country declares its opposition to any measure that would intensify ethnic and religious discord,” he added.
Schröder further maintained that the West welcomes Iran’s constructive and effective role in resolving the Syrian crisis.
Schröder who has served as the Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005 arrived in Tehran on Monday for a three-day visit, heading a 20-person delegation of economic, trade and industry officials.
He is also scheldued to hold talks with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, Minister of Industry, Trade and Mines Mohammadreza Nematzadeh, and Head of Iran's Central Bank Ali Seif.
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