Iran, EU to Begin High-Level Talks by Year’s End

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on 25 September, the EU External Action Service said in a press release on Saturday.

According to the press release, Zarif and Mogherini have “reconfirmed their commitment to implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) which will open the way to revitalized bilateral relations in different fields and cooperation on regional and international issues.”

“Further work will now be taken forward through a high-level dialogue encompassing bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest. This will be led by the Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs (of Iran), Mr. Majid Takht Ravanchi, and Ms. Helga Schmid, Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs of the European External Action Service,” it added.

“The first dialogue is foreseen to take place before the end of the year to be followed by a ministerial meeting at a later stage in 2016,” the statement noted.

“In the context of their exchange on regional issues, the Foreign Minister and High Representative underlined the need to bring the war in Syria, which has caused so much suffering, to an end. They expressed their readiness to cooperate within UN led efforts and exchanged views on how to contribute to that end,” it went on to say.

Back in July, Mogherini paid a visit to Tehran days after Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) managed to finalize the text of a lasting deal over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Mogherini had announced that implementation of the JCPOA will have far-reaching effects on Iran, its ties with Europe and the international community and also on the Middle East region.

The EU foreign policy chief coordinated the nuclear diplomacy with Iran on behalf of the six powers (also known as the P5+1 or E3+3).