Iran, Switzerland Discuss Boosting Ties

Heading a ranking delegation, Rouhani arrived in Bern on Monday and held a closed-door meeting with Berset at Hotel Bellevue Palace.

In the meeting, the Iranian president pointed to the history of warm relations between Iran and Switzerland, saying that such a basis has paved the way for the development of the bilateral relations in various fields, his official website reported.

He also lashed out at the US government for breaching international commitments, including its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers.

Rouhani further urged more consultations between the two countries over major regional and global issues, saying, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has never started tension in the region and our policy is based on cooperation and friendship with our neighbors.”

For his part, the Swiss president hailed the growing ties between Tehran and Bern in various fields, including scientific cooperation and implementation of joint projects.

Voicing his country’s support of the Iran nuclear deal, Berset said, “This agreement, which has been achieved after long negotiations, is endorsed by the United Nations Security Council and all countries must help maintain it.”

The Iranian president has enhanced political contacts with foreign leaders on ways to save the JCPOA after the US exit.

On May 8, the US president pulled his country out of the JCPOA, which was achieved in Vienna in 2015 after years of negotiations between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).

Following the US exit, Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the accord.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has underlined that any decision to keep the JCPOA running without the US should be conditional on “practical guarantees” from the Europeans.