Roundup: Nuclear deal to improve Iran-France ties: Rouhani

The recent international agreement over Iran's nuclear program is an opportunity to improve Iranian-French ties, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday.

The agreement reached in Vienna benefits both Iran and the P5+1 group and serves as a major step in converting threats to opportunities, Rouhani said in a meeting with visiting French Minister of Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius.

Fabius arrived in Tehran Wednesday at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart for talks regarding bilateral and regional issues.

This is the first visit by a French foreign minister to Tehran in over a decade. The visit was facilitated once Tehran opened its doors to the West in the wake of the nuclear deal between Iran and the world.

This visit is "a fresh start" for bilateral relations. Both Iran and France share the responsibility of restoring regional peace and stability, Fabius told state IRIB TV upon arriving in Tehran.

Involved parties spent substantial time and energy to reach the deal, and they must do their best to preserve it, Rouhani said.

Iran and France should take advantage of the post-deal mood to improve their long-term relations, he said.

The deal paved the ground not only for economic relations between Iran and France, but for political, cultural and scientific cooperation, he added.

Iran is determined to remain committed to the agreement as long as other parties respect it, he stressed.

As for the regional impact of the nuclear agreement, Rouhani said the deal is no threat to any country, rather it is in the interest of regional peace and stability.

The diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear program proves that Syrian and Yemeni problems could also be solved politically.

During the meeting, Fabius extended French President Francois Hollande's invitation to his Iranian counterpart to visit France, saying "The French government strives towards relations with Iran based on mutual respect and friendship."

"Today is the launch of a new chapter in Tehran-Paris relations, and the prospect for the relations is quite positive following the nuclear deal," he said.

France will do its best to implement the nuclear deal so that Iranian citizens could benefit from sanctions-lifting, he added.

Iran and France agreed Wednesday to commence discourse on varied realms of potential cooperation, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif said following a meeting with his visiting French counterpart.

"Iran and France's political discussions were limited to the Iran's recent nuclear issue. Currently, we want to develop them and hold regular talks on various political levels," Zarif said in a joint press conference with Fabius.

Priorities for potential cooperation include fighting terrorism, campaigning against drugs and cooperating on environmental issues, he said.

Iran and France may additionally cooperate on nuclear programs, since both countries previously collaborated in this field, he said.

Additionally, both countries may further cooperate in economic sectors, such as energy, transportation and the auto industry, he added.

Zarif expressed hope that enhancement of bilateral relations will steer the world towards peace and security in the future.

Iran and France share common concerns regarding the spread of extremism and terrorism. "We hope that peace and stability could be restored to the region," Fabius said at the press conference.

The recent nuclear deal between Iran and world powers "is not only an industrial deal, but an agreement concerning regional and world peace and stability," he said.

Though Iran and France disagree over a few regional issues, both countries engaged in political dialogue Wednesday in an attempt to iron out the differences, Fabius said.

Furthermore, France is prepared to cooperate with Iran in the auto and aircraft industries along with the health and environmental sectors, he said.

Fabius added that a French business delegation will be visiting Iran in September. Endite