Iranian Foreign Minister arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, this Monday to attend the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council and meet with several of his counterparts.
In the early hours of this Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian arrived in the capital city of Switzerland, Geneva, to take part in the 52nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Along with a high-ranking delegation, Amirabdollahian is scheduled also to attend the UN 2023 disarmament conference. Before delivering his speech in the Human Right Council, Amirabdollahian met with his Belgian counterpart Hadja Lahbib on Monday, discussing issues of mutual interest
The two top diplomats also discussed bilateral political issues as well as some international developments and consular matters. Amirabdollahian pointed to the 130 years of historical ties between Iran and Belgium and concurred with the Belgian foreign minister that issues between the two sides must be resolved through dialogue and cooperation.
Belgium’s foreign minister for her part said she was pleased to talk with Amirabdollahian as part of different meetings between the two sides. Lahbib added that she thought that despite different views over some issues, Iran and Belgium need to keep their channel of dialogue open. She added that Brussels is willing to even move beyond the current stage.
The Iranian Foreign Minister also met with his Finnish and Armenian counterparts. Amirabdollahian is accompanied by Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani and Iranian Judiciary’s Deputy Chief for International Affairs and Secretary General of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights Kazem Gharibabadi.
During his meeting with the Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Amirabdollahian discussed a wide range on issues on the bilateral and multilateral formats of cooperation, as well as regional developments.
The Ministers also commended the high level of centuries-old Armenian and Iranian friendly relations, expressing mutual readiness to undertake efforts aimed at expanding and deepening the cooperation based on mutual trust.
During a meeting with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto on Monday morning, Amirabdollahian and his Finnish counterpart discussed topics of mutual interest on bilateral relations, regional and international issues, the developments in Ukraine and especially the latest from the negotiations for the removal of anti-Iran sanctions.
Iran-IAEA on the path of cooperation, Amirabdollahian said
During his meeting with Haavisto, Amirabdollahian brought up the issue of Iran’s nuclear program and asserted to his Finnish counterpart that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran have recently reached an agreement.
He also noted that the IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi is about to have a trip to Iran to further discuss more ways of cooperation.
Expressing hope that the IAEA and Iran would be able to reach a good understanding to resolve technical issues, Amirabdollahian accused the US of putting political pressures on the UN nuclear watchdog.
Regarding the concerns of the EU countries about Iran’s nuclear program, Iran’s Foreign Minister noted that the Islamic Republic has been ready to revive the 2015 nuclear deal officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) since September 2022. However, he added, the United States dual-track approach and their miscalculations on the recent unrest in Iran caused an unwanted interval in the negotiation process.
For his part, the Finnish foreign minister underlined that his country calls for the revival of the JCPOA as well as the compliance of all sides to the deal.
