Brussels: EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini will visit Iran and Saudi Arabia next week following the agreement she helped broker with Tehran on its contested nuclear programme, her office said today.
The talks in Saudi Arabia on Monday will cover "regional issues, in the aftermath of the agreement reached on 14 July on the Iranian nuclear issue, as well as international issues of common interest," a statement said.
In Iran, Mogherini's visit Tuesday "will provide an opportunity for exchanges on the implementation of the agreement, on which the High Representative will continue to play a coordinating role, and on regional and bilateral issues," the statement added.
The EU played a leading role in talks between Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States, Germany and Iran, holding the ring during years of tortured negotiations which finally produced an accord last week on preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
In return, the powers agreed to lift damaging economic sanctions as long as Iran sticks to a deal they hope will eventually normalise ties with Tehran after years of intense distrust over its nuclear programme.
Mogherini hailed the accord as a "sign of hope for the entire world."
"It is a decision that can open the way to a new chapter in international relations and show that diplomacy, coordination, cooperation can overcome decades of tensions and confrontation," she said after the talks concluded in Vienna.
Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran are locked in a dangerous stand-off from Syria to Iraq to Yemen, driving fears in Brussels of regional instability and conflict.
German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel visited Iran earlier this week to push for improved ties but his talks were marked by sharp differences over Israel, which Iran does not recognise.
The talks in Saudi Arabia on Monday will cover "regional issues, in the aftermath of the agreement reached on 14 July on the Iranian nuclear issue, as well as international issues of common interest," a statement said.
In Iran, Mogherini's visit Tuesday "will provide an opportunity for exchanges on the implementation of the agreement, on which the High Representative will continue to play a coordinating role, and on regional and bilateral issues," the statement added.
In return, the powers agreed to lift damaging economic sanctions as long as Iran sticks to a deal they hope will eventually normalise ties with Tehran after years of intense distrust over its nuclear programme.
Advertisement
"It is a decision that can open the way to a new chapter in international relations and show that diplomacy, coordination, cooperation can overcome decades of tensions and confrontation," she said after the talks concluded in Vienna.
Advertisement
German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel visited Iran earlier this week to push for improved ties but his talks were marked by sharp differences over Israel, which Iran does not recognise.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Ayatollah Khamenei Warns Of "Divine Wrath" If Iran Backs Down Against Israel "UFOs Dancing": Boeing Pilot Captures Breathtaking Footage Of Mysterious Objects In Sky Gaza Ceasefire Deal Can Delay Iran's Response To Israel: Report Nurse Raped, Killed On Way Home, Body Found 9 Days Later In UP Rahul Gandhi's Seat At Red Fort Triggers Fresh Congress Attack On BJP "Don't Expect Anything From Me": Kolkata Hospital's New Principal Loses Cool Left, BJP, Creating Unrest: Mamata Banerjee On Midnight Attack At Hospital 'Don't Club Us With Others,' Says Manipur's Thadou Tribe, Waits For Peace Plan More Monkey Pox Cases Likely To Hit Europe Soon, Says WHO Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.