Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, at the head of a high-ranking politico-economic delegation, arrived in Swiss city of Zurich on Monday afternoon.
The visits to Switzerland and Austria are taking place at the official invitation of the presidents of the two European countries of Switzerland and Austria.
Prior to leaving Tehran, speaking among reporters at Mehrabad Airport, President Rouhani stressed that Iran attaches great importance to deepening its relations with the European Union member countries, including Switzerland and Austria and said "tapping opportunities to develop relations with Bern and Vienna is one of the goals of this visit."
Official talks will be held Tuesday, with President Berset, as well as Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga and Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann, who had invited Rouhani to visit Switzerland during his own official visit to Tehran in 2016.
During Rouhani’s visit, a number of agreements and declarations of intent are expected to be signed, with the Iran nuclear deal dubbed JCPOA and the situation in the Near and Middle East as the central topics of discussion between the two sides.
Following the US pullout from the Iran nuclear deal on May 8, EU has been making efforts to provide Iran with ‘solid guarantees’ that the agreement would continue to serve the country’s economic interests. Iran is waiting for EU’s proposed package that would convince Tehran to stay in the deal despite US sanctions.
YNG/4336774