The Iranian delegation, led by Director-General for Consular Affairs Ali Chegeni met with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton in Canberra this week.
The two countries are working on a memorandum of understanding which could involve Australia offering university scholarships as well as easing travel warnings and visa restrictions.
Meanwhile, a source close to Iranian delegation rejected the reports on the two sides’ agreement over the forced deportation of Iranian asylum seekers back to Tehran, saying “this report is not true and no deal has been struck over such matter.”
“The policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is based on giving its citizens the freedom to choose their own place of residence and occupation. If an Iranian asylum seeker wishes to return to his/her country, this return must be completely on his/her terms and without any compulsion,” the source said.
According to reports, almost 300 Iranian asylum seekers are on Manus Island and 166 on Nauru. Another 440 Iranians are in detention centers on the Australian mainland and 8,000 have bridging visas.
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