Iran

‘UK ex-foreign secretary due in Iran’

'UK ex-foreign secretary due in Iran'

Former British foreign secretary and a present member of the UK Parliament, Jack Straw, is scheduled to pay a visit to Iran in January, an Iranian lawmaker says.
“The British parliamentary delegation had asked for the trip and we agreed with it,” head of Iran-Britain Parliamentary Friendship Group Abbasali Mansouri Arani said on Tuesday.

“In case they travel to our country, we will also pay a reciprocal visit to Britain,” the Iranian legislator said, adding, “These relations can also have an impact on public and private sectors.”

Earlier in December, Britain’s new non-resident charge d’affaires to Iran Ajay Sharma visited Tehran to hold consultations with Iranian officials and reopen Britain’s mission to Iran.

Sharma was the first British diplomat to travel to Iran since ties between Tehran and London were severed in 2011.

Iran and Britain agreed earlier in October to appoint non-resident chargés d’affaires as a first step toward reopening their respective embassies.

The development followed a September meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and British Foreign Secretary William Hague in New York, during which they discussed ways to improve Tehran-London ties based on mutual respect.

On November 13, Britain declared the decision to revive diplomatic ties with Iran by appointing a non-resident charge d’affaires.

On November 19, British Prime Minister David Cameron also held a phone conversation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in the first such call between a UK premier and an Iranian president in more than a decade, and discussed, among other issues, the resumption of bilateral relations with the Iranian chief executive.

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