1 March 2014
Iran/ Sikorski: need for
broader cooperation with Iran, PAP dispatch
“Broader cooperation between Poland and Iran,
especially economic cooperation, is needed,” agreed Polish and Iranian
Ministers of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski and Mohammad Javad Zarif
speaking at joint press conference on Saturday.
Sikorski assured the authorities in Tehran that Poland
supports Iran’s efforts to sign the final agreement on its nuclear programme.
Sikorski met with Zarif during the second day of his
visit to Iran. His talk with President of Iran planned for Sunday was cancelled
because the minister had to travel back to Poland due to the situation in
Ukraine.
“Cooperation between the two countries has to develop
more than it did before. There are many opportunities for Polish companies in
Iran. There benefits to be gained for both sides,” said Zarif at the press
conference. He specifically referred to possibilities of cooperation in the
petrochemical, food and pharmaceutical industries. A Polish business mission
headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Janusz Piechociński is due
to visit Teheran in April.
Iran has been affected by sanctions and free trade
with this country is not possible. Therefore, Sikorski noted, Tehran must reach
a final agreement with the international community on its nuclear programme.
“Iran is an important partner for us. We hope that it will reach a final
agreement with the international community."
The International Atomic Energy Agency affirms that
Iran respects the relevant preliminary agreement. We hope that Iran will find a
way to convince the international community that its nuclear programme is
intended solely for peaceful purposes.
Sikorski drew attention to cases of human rights
violations in Iran, specifically to an increase in the number of death
sentences. He said that in Iran he tried to access sites of Poland’s most
important portals on the Internet but could not open them due to censorship,
which also applies to the Internet. “For us [coming from] a country that fought
for freedom of speech, this came as a shock,” said the minister.
The ministers also discussed the situation in Syria.
Sikorski stressed that the international community should do all it can to
avert the danger of a permanent collapse of state structures in Syria. The
ministers signed an agreement on cooperation between the Polish Institute of
International Affairs and its Iranian counterpart– IPIS.
Tomasz Grodecki (PAP) reporting from Tehran.
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