Iran-Swiss Meeting Signifies Futility of Unilateralism: Rouhani
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani described a conference of Iranian and Swiss businesses as an indication that unilateral policies of countries that believe their internal laws are extraterritorial have no place in the contemporary world.
In an address to a gathering of Iranian and Swiss merchants and economic activists, held in Bern on Tuesday, Rouhani said holding the meeting at such a critical juncture indicates that “Iran and Switzerland are resolved to keep up their friendly trade and economic ties within the framework of the international law and the interests of their nations.”
He added that by holding the business meeting in Switzerland, Tehran and Bern give the message that “in today’s world, unilateralism does not work in any political, security, economic, scientific and environmental fields.”
Given the existing problems in the world, it is necessary for governments and nations to cooperate with each other, the president stressed.
Reaffirming Iran’s commitment to international regulations and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Rouhani added, “We announce that Iran seeks fair, legal, peaceful and stable relations with the world, as it has played its role well in this regard.”
It is time for abandoning unilateralism and respecting international laws, the Iranian president said.
“While the governments of Iran and Switzerland are determined to boost and strengthen relations, some countries think their laws are extraterritorial and (wrongly) believe that great states may be ready to bargain for their independence.”
Swiss Federal President Alain Berset also took the podium to voice his country’s readiness to keep working with Iran, saying the two sides have been in regular contacts since the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was achieved.
Switzerland considers the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as a major achievement of diplomacy and calls on all parties to honor the nuclear agreement, he added.
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.