Europe

European Parliament delegation due in Iran

338853_Larijani-SwobodaA delegation of European Parliament (EP) members is due to travel to Iran next week to discuss the expansion of parliamentary relations between the Islamic Republic and the EU.

The delegation, comprised of five EP members, will arrive in Iran’s capital, Tehran, on December 13.

This is the second visit by EP lawmakers to Iran after the election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in June.

The first parliamentary delegation, headed by Hannes Swoboda, visited Iran in October and held talks with senior Iranian officials, including Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani.

During their visit, the EP delegation called for the expansion of relations between Iran and the EU with regards to key issues such as fighting narcotics and terrorism as well as economic and commercial cooperation.

Swoboda said that the EP hoped the sanctions against Iran over its nuclear energy program would be lifted within the next few months.

On November 24, Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – Russia, China, France, Britain and the US – plus Germany sealed an interim deal in the Swiss city of Geneva to lay the groundwork for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Iran over its nuclear energy program.

In exchange for Tehran’s confidence-building bid to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities, the sextet agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

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