Iran and Germany stressed expansion of economic and commercial relations Thursday in the course of a meeting between the visiting Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi and German economics minister Werner Mueller, Iran's official news agency (IRNA) reported.
Mueller said that Berlin is firmly set to expand bilateral relations, especially in the fields of economy and trade. He said Germany is ready to negotiate with Iran on raising the Hermes Insurance ceiling, said IRNA.
For his part, Kharrazi said, "the two countries have a good record of economic and commercial relations." He said that Tehran welcomes joint-ventures with Berlin.
Iran-Germany relations were strained after a German court accused Iran of state terrorism for ordering the 1992 killing of Kurdish dissidents in Berlin. An Iranian court also strained relations by passing a death sentence, later revoked, against German businessman Helmut Hofer for having sexual relations with an Iranian woman in
Tehran. Hofer was discharged earlier this year.
But, last July, Khatami visited Germany, the first visit by an Iranian leader since the triumph of the Islamic Revolution in February 1979 and his third to Europe after going to France and Italy last year. He assured the Germans that Iran is a stable country determined to progress and cooperate with the rest of the world -- Albawaba.com
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