Iran, France Hold Fresh Round of Political Talks in Paris
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Ranking diplomats from Iran and France met in Paris for the sixth round of political negotiations, an initiative agreed on by the two countries’ president back in 2016.
Heading a diplomatic delegation, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi held a meeting with Secretary General of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Maurice Gourdault-Montagne in Paris Tuesday evening for the 6th round of Iran-France political negotiations.
The periodical talks began in January 2016, after a visit to Paris by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, when the two nations signed a number of agreement.
In the Tuesday gathering, Araqchi and Gourdault-Montagne discussed a range of issues, including the latest status of Iran-France bilateral ties, the implementation of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and INSTEX (a payment channel that three EU states have set up to maintain trade with Iran), the fight against terrorism and extremism, and the regional developments.
In the meeting, the Iranian deputy foreign minister highlighted Tehran’s full commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and deplored the other parties’ failure to honor their commitments which he said has upset the balance of implementation of the nuclear deal.
Araqchi also welcomed the formation of INSTEX (Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges), adding, “The mechanism has been announced with much delay, and we hope that its implementation phases would be carried out rapidly.”
For his part, Gourdault-Montagne reiterated France’s support for the nuclear deal, saying the INSTEX has been invented to that end.
He also voiced France’s willingness to continue negotiations with Iran, which he described as a “major and influential” country.
The three European parties to the JCPOA launched INSTEX last week.
INSTEX will be based in Paris and be managed by a German banking expert. Britain will head the supervisory board.
In May 2018, the US president pulled his country out of the JCPOA, the nuclear deal that was achieved in Vienna in 2015 after years of negotiations among 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.
