Speaking to reporters upon his arrival in the Belgian capital of Brussels on Sunday night, Zarif said Tehran and the European Union are on the path to broad cooperation in different fields of mutual interest.
During his significant trip, made at the invitation of the Belgian officials, Zarif is going to hold high-level talks with the EU officials and Belgium’s authorities.
The top Iranian diplomat said while the process of high-level talks between Tehran and the EU has already begun at the level of deputies, the contacts will go on at a higher level during European Union's Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini’s upcoming visit to Iran, who will be accompanied by diverse EU commissioners.
As regards the topics to be discussed in his meetings with Mogherini in Brussels, Zarif pointed to the issues surrounding implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a lasting nuclear deal between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) that came into force in January.
Implementation of the JCPOA is getting on all right, particularly after the normalization of financial transactions between the Iranian banks and the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) marked a major step last week, Zarif added.
He also stressed the need for more coordination between Iran and the EU about the practical removal of the anti-Iran sanctions imposed by the US.
The minister added that he will also hold talks about the regional developments during his Brussels visit, including the crises in Syria and Yemen.
In his two-day stay in Belgium, Zarif is scheduled to meet with Janusz Lewandowski, chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with Iran, and with President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.
The Iranian diplomat will also deliver a speech at the Egmont Institute, an independent think-tank based at the Belgian Foreign Ministry.
On Monday, he will also hold a meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, before visiting top diplomats from the European Union.
The main topics to be discussed between Zarif and Mogherini tonight are expected to include Tehran-EU political and economic relations, as in energy, as well as human rights issues and the crises in the Middle East region.
