News / Politics / Editor's Choice

Iran, Switzerland hold new round of political talks

Saturday, 17 June 2017 5:10 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 17 June 2017 10:13 AM ]

Majid Takht-e Ravanchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for European and American affairs

Iran and Switzerland have held a second round of political talks in line with a roadmap that the two countries devised last February to enhance bilateral relations.

The new talks were held in the Swiss city of Bern on Friday between Majid Takht-e Ravanchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for European and American affairs, and State Secretary at the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pascale Baeriswyl (seen below).

Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann visited Tehran last February, meeting with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.

Schneider-Ammann and Rouhani decided to have the roadmap devised, and the two sides signed six memorandums of understanding in the scientific and technical fields and chose to step up their cooperation in the area of tourism.

Read more:

Iran, Switzerland decide on roadmap to enhance ties

The visit was followed by a first round of political talks between Takht-e-Ravanchi and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter in Bern last June.

The follow-up talks on Friday saw the two sides laying emphasis on the further enhancement of mutual relations. They also featured discussions on all-out cooperation against instability and toward fighting terrorism as an international threat.

Takht-e-Ravanchi pointed to the recent developments in the Middle East and Persian Gulf region, which have seen Saudi Arabia and some of its allies cutting ties with Qatar. He said the Islamic Republic’s policy concerning the development was one of cooperation toward the establishment of peace and stability in the region and the easing of regional tensions.

Baeriswyl, for her part, condoled with the Iranian nation and government over the recent terrorist attacks in the Iranian capital, which claimed 17 lives. The Swiss president and foreign minister had already extended their condolences over the incident.

Baeriswyl also referred to the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers as a “valuable” achievement of the international community, and emphasized its complete implementation. The deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was reached in July 2015 and ended a long-running dispute over the Iranian nuclear program.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk