French Foreign Minister: I Carry an Official Invitation for Rouhani

On Wednesday, August 7, the foreign ministers of Iran and France emphasized the resumption of "political dialogues" between the two countries and cooperation in the fight against terrorism. Laurent Fabius, during his visit to Tehran, also stated that he carries an official invitation from the President of France for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to visit France in November. According to the state news agency IRNA, the Iranian President also mentioned in his meeting with Mr. Fabius that the Vienna nuclear agreement should lead to "better cooperation with Europe." In a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, Mr. Fabius said, "I came to Iran after the nuclear agreement in Vienna to express our respect for Iran and our commitments." He emphasized the resumption of political and economic relations with Iran, stating that this resumption would also cover "regional and international" issues. The French Foreign Minister referred to Iran as an "influential" country in the region and added that although the two countries do not agree on some bilateral issues, they share "common positions and goals" in matters such as combating terrorism and extremism. One day prior to his trip to Iran, Mr. Fabius wrote in an editorial for the state newspaper "Iran" that the Vienna nuclear agreement has created "specific responsibilities" for Iran and Western parties, and that Iran, as an "influential country, can play a positive role in facing crises and disasters" in the Middle East. The Iranian Ambassador to France, Ali Ahani, had also stated that the fight against the Islamic State (formerly ISIS) is one of the "common interests" between Iran and France, and discussions on this topic would take place during the French Foreign Minister's visit. Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, also mentioned that the two countries have agreed to "expand political dialogues" and that negotiations will continue regularly at the level of directors-general, deputy ministers, and ministers. Mr. Zarif noted that the visit of the French Foreign Minister is the first visit by a senior political official from France to Tehran in 17 years and expressed hope that this visit would lead to the expansion of relations and the resolution of "misunderstandings" that have overshadowed the relations between the two countries in recent years. He emphasized that the two countries can regularly cooperate and negotiate in areas such as "combating extremism and terrorism," "the fight against drugs," and "environmental cooperation." On Tuesday, the Iranian Foreign Minister also announced in a joint interview with Federica Mogherini, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, the start of a "new round" of negotiations between Iran and the EU under the title of "high-level dialogues." The French Foreign Minister also stated that with the lifting of sanctions, French companies are interested in cooperating with Iranian parties, including in the automotive, aerospace, environmental, health, and agricultural sectors. According to Mr. Fabius, a large economic delegation, including the French Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Foreign Trade, will visit Iran in September. Based on estimates from the French Foreign Ministry, France's exports to Iran fell from 1.66 billion euros in 2011 to 494 million euros in 2013. Imports from Iran also dropped from 1.77 billion euros to 62 million euros. Meanwhile, French companies Peugeot and Renault, which were among the largest exporters of automobiles to Iran, have ceased cooperation with Iran in recent years due to sanctions. Mr. Fabius's statements about the return of French automobile companies to the Iranian market come at a time when Ali Majidi, the Iranian Ambassador to Germany, expressed hope that Volkswagen would "begin its operations in Iran by the end of this year" during the visit of a large German business delegation to Iran on Sunday, July 28. The visit of the French Foreign Minister has faced opposition from groups, media, and conservative figures in Iran. They have referred to him as a "Zionist" and raised the issue of the export of contaminated blood from France to Iran nearly 30 years ago. Meanwhile, the Fars news agency reported on Wednesday that a group of protesters gathered at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport to oppose Mr. Fabius's visit. According to the report, these individuals held placards with slogans such as "France and America, the head and tail of sanctions," "Fabius, America's servant, Israel's spy," and "We neither forgive nor forget." The French Foreign Minister is scheduled to meet and discuss with Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, the Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade, and also Masoumeh Ebtekar, the head of Iran's Environmental Protection Organization.