German Foreign Minister in Iran: Berlin is Determined to Expand Relations with Tehran

On Wednesday, the German Foreign Minister met with the President of Iran and expressed Berlin's desire to expand relations with Tehran, informally inviting him to visit Germany. The official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, reported on Wednesday, February 3, that during the meeting, Frank-Walter Steinmeier emphasized that "Berlin is determined to expand relations with Tehran in all political, economic, cultural, and academic areas." Mr. Steinmeier referred to the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers that came into effect in late January, stating that relations between Tehran and Berlin have "experienced a leap, and major German companies are eager to enter the Iranian market for investment and joint cooperation." He noted that in 2015, "ten large political and economic delegations from Germany visited the Islamic Republic of Iran and negotiated with their partners, and currently, eight more large economic delegations are lined up to travel to Tehran, paving the way for joint investment." Meanwhile, a report from Reuters supports that the German Foreign Minister invited Hassan Rouhani to visit his country. According to this report, Frank-Walter Steinmeier stated after meeting with Hassan Rouhani that he asked the Iranian President to consider visiting Germany during his next trip to Europe. However, the Fars news agency in Iran emphasized, citing German media, that the invitation from the German Foreign Minister to the Iranian President for a trip to Berlin was "informal." German media had previously reported disagreements within the German ruling body regarding inviting Hassan Rouhani to visit Berlin. A report from the German-language magazine Spiegel indicates that Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, is currently reluctant to participate in the competition over Rouhani's visit in Europe, but her deputy, Sigmar Gabriel, is eager for Hassan Rouhani to visit Germany as soon as possible. Hassan Rouhani's first European trip after the implementation of the nuclear agreement and the lifting of sanctions took place last week, during which the Iranian President visited Italy, the Vatican, and France. This trip resulted in the signing of several economic memorandums between Tehran and Paris and Tehran and Rome, including a memorandum for the purchase of 118 Airbus aircraft from France.