French Prime Minister: Iran Can Count on Us

Manuel Valls, the Prime Minister of France, stated on Thursday that Iran and his country will sign agreements in the fields of health, agriculture, and the environment, adding that Iran can count on France. According to Reuters, these agreements will be signed during the visit of Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, to Paris. Rouhani arrived in France on Wednesday for an official visit, having previously traveled to Italy. During Rouhani's visit to Italy, the two countries signed economic agreements worth $18.4 billion. Continuing this official trip, Valls, speaking at a joint meeting of French and Iranian businessmen in Paris, called for the reconstruction of economic cooperation between the two countries. Valls noted the lifting of sanctions on Iran following the implementation of the JCPOA on January 16, adding that cooperation between the car manufacturers Peugeot-Citroën and Iran Khodro symbolizes the relations between Tehran and Paris. According to the Associated Press, under the €400 million agreement between the two companies, Peugeot-Citroën will produce 200,000 cars annually in Iran. Valls welcomed Rouhani and his accompanying Iranian delegation in Persian, saying, 'Welcome to France.' In response, Rouhani stated at the meeting, 'Let us forget past disagreements and start a new chapter.' According to AFP, Valls also stated that Iran can count on France, adding that France is ready to assist in the modernization of Iran with its companies, engineers, technicians, and many of its resources. Meanwhile, AFP reported that Patrick Pouyanné, the CEO of Total, announced that the company would sign a contract to purchase oil from Iran on Thursday. He stated that under this contract, which will be signed at the French presidential palace, Total will purchase between 150,000 to 200,000 barrels of oil daily from Iran. Following the lifting of sanctions on January 16, Iran announced that it would increase its daily oil production by 500,000 barrels. ISNA also reported that the contract for purchasing aircraft from Airbus will be finalized and signed on Thursday. Previously, Abbas Akhoundi, the Minister of Roads and Urban Development, announced the signing of a contract to purchase 114 passenger aircraft from Airbus. According to ISNA, Airbus has committed to providing the aircraft to Iran as quickly as possible, and the purchase will be on a lease-to-own basis, with Tehran committing to pay for the aircraft over ten years. Additionally, Mahmoud Vaezi, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Iran, on Thursday, called for joint activities between the two countries and French investment in this sector, along with technology transfer in the Iranian market. Reports indicate that Hassan Rouhani and François Hollande, the Presidents of Iran and France, are scheduled to meet on Thursday evening. Meanwhile, according to Reuters, Human Rights Watch, based in New York, issued a statement urging Rouhani and Hollande to discuss human rights issues as well. This organization referenced issues such as the death penalty and violations of women's and minority rights in Iran, as well as the state of emergency declared in France by Hollande following the attacks by the Islamic State group in Paris. According to Human Rights Watch, this legal order threatens rights such as freedom of expression and assembly in France.