Iran, Spain FMs discuss ties, Afghanistan, Iran-EU relations

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who is in New York to attend the 76th UNGA meeting, held a meeting with his Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares on Wednesday.

In the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister pointed to the 400-year history of Iran-Spain relations and stressed the need for serious efforts to improve relations and said that relations in the political, economic and parliamentary fields are moving in the right direction, but new projects in the field should be defined in health, industrial and science and technology, culture and tourism, bartering goods, activities of private companies, etc.

Amir-Abdollahian praised the cooperation in the fields of health and medicine at the apex of the Coronavirus pandemic as an unforgettable point in the cooperation between the two countries.

He also pointed to banking-related and money-transfer problems that Iranian students have faced in the European country and called on the Spanish counterpart to help with resolving the issue through mutual cooperation.

Emphasizing Tehran's willingness to define a balanced relationship with Europe, Amir-Aboullahian said, "Europe's relations with Iran should not be dependent on the unconstructive behavior and attitude of the United States towards Iran."

Emphasizing the need for serious efforts to improve relations, the top Iranian diplomat said, "According to the foreign policy of the new government in Iran, extending relations with Europe encompasses all the countries of the Green Continent as a priority and those ties are not limited to the Troika (three major European countries)."

Approving the remarks by the Iranian foreign minister, the Spanish foreign minister emphasized that Spain is doing its best to improve the level of political and trade relations, and for that reason, Spain decided to join INSTEX (EU financial mechanism to trade with Iran under the US sanctions.)

Mr. Albares pointed to the declining trend in trade relations between Iran and Spain since 2018 (US JCPOA exit) and stressed the need to change the situation through mutual efforts.

The Spanish top diplomat also exchanged views on the developments in Afghanistan, saying that the European country is ready to assist in the vaccination of Afghan refugees in Iran.

Referring to the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the two ministers stressed the need for the international community to pay serious attention to the issue and draw red lines.

KI/spoks telegram channel