Talking to the Mehr News Agency on Wednesday, Alireza Sheikh-Attar said at the meeting that German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle held with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Saturday, Westerwelle emphasized that his country is opposed to sanctions against Iran beyond international regulations.
Bilateral cooperation, Iran’s nuclear issue, and the Afghanistan issue were some of the topics that were discussed at the meeting.
Westerwelle’s visit not linked to release of two German nationals
Sheikh-Attar also dismissed any link between Westerwelle’s visit to Tehran and the release of the two German nationals, who were arrested in Iran in 2010.
Marcus Hellwig and Jens Koch, who had entered Iran on tourist visas, were arrested in October 2010 for trying to interview relatives of Sakineh Ashtiani without having obtained journalistic credentials. Sakineh Ashtiani has been convicted of adultery and murder.
The court commuted the 20-month imprisonment sentence of the two German reporters to a fine of around $50,000 and released them.
Westerwelle’s visit was pre-scheduled and was not linked to the release of Hellwig and Koch, the ambassador said, adding “the two nationals were released before the presence of the German foreign minister in Iran.”
Westerwelle himself also denied any link between the two issues, Sheik-Attar said.
The ambassador also criticized the German media outlets for disseminating the propaganda that Iran’s pre-condition to release the two German nationals was Westerwelle’s meeting with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“It is a big lie about Westerwelle’s visit”, Sheikh-Attar stated.
“The German media outlets, which are greatly influenced by the Zionists, got angry at the German foreign minister’s visit to Iran and created a brouhaha,” the diplomat explained.
Sheikh-Attar also said that Westerwelle’s visit “opened a new chapter in the relations between Iran and Germany.”
Iran-Germany trade hits $4b in 2010
The ambassador stated, “The value of trade exchanges between Iran and Germany surpassed $4 billion in 2010, which shows a 12 percent increase in comparison with the year of 2009 despite the sanctions.”
“Germany is our first economic partner among major European countries,” he said.
Salehi to travel to Germany
The Iranian diplomat also announced that Salehi will travel to Germany during Iranian calendar year 1390, which begins on March 21.
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MNA