Iran’s president due in Italy, France next month

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani is to pay a visit to Italy and France in late January after an earlier trip was canceled following a spate of deadly terror attacks in Paris, the official IRNA news agency says.

On the first leg of his four-day tour, which will begin on January 26, Rouhani is scheduled to visit Rome to hold talks with senior Italian officials, including President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, IRNA reported on Tuesday.

During his stay in Rome, Rouhani will hold a meeting with Italian investors and leading industrialists. He is also expected to visit the Vatican and meet with Pope Francis there.

The Iranian president will then travel to France, where he will sit down for talks with high-ranking officials, including his counterpart Francois Hollande.

During Rouhani’s first tour of Europe, Iranian officials accompanying the president will sign agreements for the expansion of relations in different fields.

Rouhani was scheduled to visit the three European destinations on November 14, but the trip was put off after a series of terror attacks claimed by Daesh took the lives 130 people and wounded over 350 others in Paris.