Iran and the European Union (EU) are keen to expand ties in various fields, said Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi during a meeting with the head of an EU delegation.
Kharrazi held talks with the chief of the European Troika Jan De Bock, said the official Iranian news agency, IRNA, adding that the officials explored new ways of boosting bilateral relations between Iran and the EU in various fields.
De Boch, who is in Iran to hold the seventh round of Iran-EU comprehensive dialogue, stressed that the EU members were determined to expand ties with Iran, IRNA said.
The EU members are well aware of Iran's economic, political and strategic situation, he said, adding that the EU was deeply interested in accelerating the pace of progress in its bilateral relations with Iran in all areas.
He said he hoped that Iran-EU ties would significantly improve under the rotating presidency of Belgium.
De Boch added that EU members were determined to increase investment in Iran, and that this was the main topic of the discussion between EU and Iranian authorities.
For his part, Kharrazi said the time was ripe for Iran and the EU to embark on economic cooperation more effectively than ever, adding that the deliberations and planning should be followed up seriously.
He said Iran and the EU had huge economic potential and noted that the inking of bilateral agreements in energy and other economic sectors could help boost Iran-EU ties.
Foreign ministry officials and EU delegates started their twice-yearly meeting in Tehran Monday for talks on business, human rights issues, terrorism, drug trafficking, and several other regional and international developments.
Several European officials attended Monday's talks with the Iranian delegation headed by the Deputy Foreign Minister for Europe-Americas Affairs Ali Ahani, said IRNA – Albawaba.com
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