Belgian, Iran Officials Discuss Investment, Regional Issues
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Parliament speakers from Iran and Belgium discussed a range of issues in a meeting in Tehran on Saturday, with the European side showing enthusiasm for investment in Iran.
Speaking at joint press conference with President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives Siegfried Bracke, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said they have talked about various issues, from Tehran-Brussels ties to regional crises.
Larijani said the two sides also discussed investment in Iran with regard to “six strategic axes” stipulated in the country's 6th quinquennial development plan which allows for the attraction of foreign investment, adding that the “Belgian friends” have welcomed that idea.
The ongoing crises in the Middle East, such as the war on Yemen, were among the other issues discussed in the meeting, the Iranian speaker added.
Larijani finally noted that he has informed the Belgian officials of the Iranian parliament’s readiness for human rights negotiations on legal grounds.
In August 2016, Iran’s top judge Ayatollah Amoli Larijani proposed that the Islamic Republic and Europe can begin discussions about human rights, provided that Iran also has the chance to question the shortcomings of Europeans regarding human rights.
“I suggest that the (Judiciary’s) Human Rights Council, the Foreign Ministry and the Supreme National Security Council pave the way for talks with European countries (on human rights),” he said at the time, adding that the US must be excluded from any such discussions because “Americans are only after deception.”
“We also have things to say about human rights in Europe. We have questions and views about Europe’s approach toward humans, Islamophobia in Europe, and France’s ban on hijab,” he stressed.
