European Parliament President in Tehran: We Have Entered a Decisive Stage

Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, who arrived in Tehran on Saturday morning, November 16, stated that relations between the European Union and Iran have entered a "decisive stage." According to AFP, Schulz referred to the Iran nuclear agreement with the 1+5 group, saying, "We are now in the implementation phase of this agreement, and at the end of this phase, doors can open for economic cooperation and positive economic development." On Saturday, during his one-day visit to Tehran, he met with Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, and is scheduled to meet with Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran. This is the first visit by the President of the European Parliament to Iran. Following the Vienna nuclear agreement, Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, had also visited Iran. The visit of the European Parliament President to Tehran comes 20 days after the publication of a statement by the EU's foreign policy chief regarding the approval of the legal framework for lifting sanctions against Iran. According to IRNA, meetings with Mohammad Javad Larijani, head of the Judiciary's Human Rights Commission, and Kazem Jalali, head of the Parliament Research Center, are also part of the European Parliament President's itinerary in Tehran. Prior to his trip, Schulz had announced in a press release that he would also meet with "representatives of civil society" during this visit. The press release did not mention the names of individuals or groups that the European Parliament President is expected to meet with. In 2013, a five-member delegation from the European Parliament led by Tanja Fajon, head of the Iran group in this Parliament, made headlines by meeting with Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human rights lawyer, and Jafar Panahi, a filmmaker. In a joint press conference with the European Parliament President, Ali Larijani stated that the parties had "useful and constructive negotiations" regarding economic cooperation and regional crises. In response to a question about Iran's support for Bashar al-Assad, Larijani described "reducing regional crises to an individual" as a "strategic mistake" and emphasized that "the Syrian issue is not about an individual." He added, "The Syrian issue is a starting point for destabilizing the region; therefore, if we look closely at the region, we see that terrorists are on the rise and have created numerous problems for the people of Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Afghanistan." The President of the European Parliament also responded to this question by saying, "I told Mr. Larijani that I believe there is no long-term future for Assad, but in the present and short term, one can envision it, and these two issues must be considered together." He added, "The people of Syria must be able to decide for their country in elections, and countries like Iran, the EU, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the U.S. can facilitate this process." Schulz emphasized that a solution can be reached through a "national dialogue" within Syria and that those who have committed war crimes, such as those who drop bombs on their own people, must be held accountable. On the same day, Cyril Ramaphosa, the Deputy President of South Africa, also traveled to Tehran. According to IRNA, the Deputy President of South Africa is expected to prepare for the visit of the South African President to Tehran during his meetings with senior officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Additionally, a delegation of 160 South African businessmen and industrialists is scheduled to meet with representatives of the private sector in Iran on Sunday. The South African Vice Presidency's office had previously announced that the country aims to build an oil refinery that can increase gasoline production using Iranian crude oil and reduce dependence on foreign companies. Following the announcement of international sanctions against Tehran, South Africa, which had imported most of its oil needs from Iran, was forced to reduce its oil purchases from Iran. The South Korean Foreign Minister also arrived in Tehran on Saturday after 13 years. The last visit by a South Korean Foreign Minister to Tehran was in 2001. During his one-day visit to Tehran, the South Korean Foreign Minister will meet with Hassan Rouhani, the President, and Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister. South Korea is the fourth-largest buyer of Iranian oil, but in recent years, following Western sanctions against Iran, it has reduced its oil purchases from Iran.