Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos met today, in the framework of Ministerial Week of the 68th UN General Assembly, with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
During their meeting, the two Ministers referred to the close cultural and historical ties between Greece and Iran, stressing the importance of promoting the global interfaith dialogue. In this spirit, they exchanged invitations to visit Athens and Tehran, respectively, and agreed on the opening of a bilateral political dialogue on the level of political directors.
Messrs. Venizelos and Zarif also discussed international and regional issues, including the matter of Syria, with the aim of a comprehensive, viable political solution. Referring to the Syrian issue, the Iranian Foreign Minister made special mention of the need for the ban on possession of chemical weapons to be universal, both for the regime and the opposition, as provided for by the relevant international conventions.
Mr. Venizelos stated that Greece – always within the framework of international law, the resolutions of the UN, and its membership in the EU, the Presidency of which it will assume for the first six months of 2014 – wants to play a constructive role in promoting the EU’s dialogue with Iran, with a view to normalization of relations and cultivation of a spirit of rapprochement and cooperation.
September 23, 2013