Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and stressed cementing ties in all fields of mutual interest.
In a meeting held late on Tuesday in New York on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, President Rouhani said, “Relations between Iran and Sweden have always been good and positive, especially in industrial and trade sectors, but these relations have encountered problems after the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA."
The president then stressed that the Iran nuclear deal, officially called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is an international agreement endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, and has seven pillars, adding that it is not acceptable that only one of them lives up to its commitments. Rouhani reminded the European Union, including Sweden, of their commitments and full implementation of the deal, particularly regarding the EU’s trade mechanism for Iran, INSTEX, which was promised to facilitate Iran’s trade transactions with the world in the face of US sanctions.
Rouhani also discussed the situation in the region, and in particular the continuation of the killing of innocent Yemenis by the Saudi-led, US-backed coalition, saying, "Currently, the region is in need of more peace and stability than ever before, and the Hormuz Peace Endeavor (HOPE) is in the same direction".
The Hormuz Peace Endeavor (HOPE) is Iran’s regional peace plan, to be presented to the UN General Assembly today, which, according to Rouhani, has been designed to include all countries of the region and aims to expand cooperation beyond regional security.
For his part, the Swedish prime minister referred to his recent visit to Tehran and thanked Iran’s hospitality, adding that Sweden is seeking to develop relations with Iran in all fields, especially in the economic sector.
Referring to Zarif's visit and his country's willingness to contribute to the security of the region, Stefan Löfven welcomed Rouhani's peace plan and said he would willingly look into it.
"Sweden has been a supporter of INSTEX and is looking for practical ways to operate this financial mechanism as soon as possible," the Swedish Prime Minister promised.
MNA/4728078
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