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| Majid Takht Ravanchi |
By Genc MLLOJA - Journalist, former Albanian diplomat
Iranian Foreign Minister wants to pay back the visit to his partner, Ditmir Bushati, who paid a visit to Tehran in January this year, where he was also received by President Hassan Rouhani, who swore for a second term, After winning the majority in parliamentary elections in May.
At the oath ceremony, which took place on August 5, more than 100 foreign delegations attended, among them the European Union Foreign Policy Chief, Federica Mogerini. During his stay in Tehran, I was given the opportunity to hold an interview with Deputy Foreign Minister for Europe and America, Majid Takht Ravanchi, on August 7 at his office.
During this interview he talked about the desire to develop relations with Albania, aspects of the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program, as well as relations with the EU, China, Russia and other issues under the government's agenda in President Rouhani's second term.Will there be a new vision in the second presidential mandate on the complicated issue of the nuclear agreement, particularly in the conditions when the US Senate has imposed new sanctions against Iran on the grounds that your country supports terrorism?
Absolutely, we oppose these allegations raised by the Trump administration, the House of Representatives or the US Senate. We are of the opinion that these actions are politically motivated. As for the nuclear agreement, Iran has done what should do to fulfill its obligations, based on the content and spirit of the nuclear agreement, namely the Common Action Plan (JCPOA). If you look at the various reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, you will notice that its General Director in almost every report compiled since the day of the implementation of JCPOA has been very clear, saying Iran has implemented all obligations in accordance with the nuclear agreement. So this is our relationship.
But the US attitude was not the same. The US has been trying to create an atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty over the proper implementation of the nuclear agreement, which would allow us to have normal trade relations with other countries on the basis of what was written in the nuclear agreement. They have increased the number of individuals and Iranian companies on the list of sanctions, which will have the effect of what I said above - the atmosphere of fear and anxiety. The US should not have done this because they have certified the nuclear agreement. Instead, they should have encouraged the normal trade between Iran and other countries. The actions taken by the US are against the content and spirit of the nuclear agreement and we hope that they will not follow this line, which has been proven to have been negative about the nuclear deal.
Mr. Minister, can you present us a picture of Iran's relations with several other key international factors, such as EU member states, China, Russia, etc.?
I have to say that we have good traditional economic and trade relations with EU countries, with almost every European country. Our economic ties with many European countries have existed for decades and Iran and Europe have been doing business for decades. As for other aspects of our relationship, we want to have the best possible relationships with Europe, with particular European countries as well as with the EU. We know that there are some differences between the two sides. This is a fact that can not be hiden. There are issues that do not match our attitudes, but at the same time we believe there are many things that bring more to both sides. I can give you some examples. We have already talked about trade, business and investment opportunities. All of these things can be categorized as beneficial to Iran and European countries, because when you do business, cannot benefit just one party. In fact, when you do business, both sides benefit. We are ready to expand trade, economic and investment links with Europe. And we understand that Europe is also interested in engaging with Iran on these issues. As for other aspects of the relationship, we want to extend them to the EU because of the challenges ahead of us today. Let me mention some, such as terrorism, extremism, the collapse of refugees. With such problems, Iran faces similarly to Europe. You recall that two years ago the influx of Syria refugees towards Europe created problems there. We have more or less the same problems here. So there are common grounds, reasons and attitudes to address these problems to find a solution. In short, we want the best of relations with Europe and I consider the EU and European countries.
As for Russia and China, it is a fact that Russia is our close neighbor. We share the Caspian Sea. While China is in our area, it is not a direct neighbor, but very close to Iran. We have many things in common with China and Russia.
Silk Road is one of the issues poses interest for Iran and China, and not just about them; Many countries are interested in it, including Albania, because it moves from China and reaches Iran and then heads to Europe. So this is a project of interest to China, Iran and many other countries. But in addition to the economic ties that are important to Iran, China and Russia, there are many things at the international level on which we have more or less mutual understanding, we have more or less the same stances. During the negotiation process for the nuclear agreement, we have had very fruitful and close cooperation with the delegations of China and Russia. So, we have special relationships with China and Russia and we want to keep them as something indispensable for both Iran and these two states.
As a powerful economic country, Iran has consistently shown interest in developing relations with the Western Balkans. How would you appreciate Tehran's relations with these countries in this region?
This is an important region in Europe. Of course, our general attitude to Europe is also applied to the Balkan region, because it is part of Europe. We want to have the best possible relationships with this region and we want to have very good economic cooperation. One important issue is the traditional, historical, cultural and some religious connections. This is another tool in the hands of Iran and the Balkans to get closer to each other. Thus, the Balkans is a special region for Iran and I think that the Balkan countries have more or less the same feelings about Iran. We have embassies in almost all countries in the region, which are active and many of these countries have their embassies in Tehran. So we have cooperation, we have daily contacts with brothers and sisters of the Balkans. Security in the Balkans is important to us and from a security perspective, we believe that all issues in the region can be resolved through dialogue and understanding. We hope that the Balkans is an important region for Europe's security and stability as well as for security and stability in the area. Therefore, we attach great importance to relations with the Balkan countries, with particular countries in the region, hoping that both sides will benefit from strengthening relations between the two sides.
Following this, there have been some new positive developments of relations between Albania and Iran, especially after Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati's visit to Tehran in January this year. What can you tell us about the prospect of developing bilateral ties and are we expected other exchanges of high officials' visits to concretize this cooperation?
Of course, Albania is an important country in Europe and is an important country for Iran. As I said, cultural and religious ties between Iran and the region, particularly with Albania, are important assets for both countries. We believe there are many opportunities for further cooperation between the two countries. You referred to the successful visit of your Foreign Minister and I have been in Mr Bushati's meeting with President Rouhani. Our president was very clear in support of the best relations between Iran and Albania. And in fact, he referred to the very common things between the two nations. Regarding the political will on Iran, we have full political will and I am sure that from the comments and attitudes we have heard from your Foreign Minister and other authorities, you have the same political will. This gives us the means to strengthen political ties, especially economic, because we believe there are many things that both countries can reach in the economic field. Not just traditional trade, I mean import and export between the two parties, but we can get engaged in major projects, development projects. So before us there are many things and we hope that we can achieve great things over time. As for the exchange of visits, our Foreign Minister would certainly be delighted to return the visit Bushati made in Tehran by visiting Albania at the appropriate time. We have already agreed on regular political consultations at ministerial level and this is another good thing that gives us the opportunity to analyze different issues and exchange views on different issues. We think that we are on a solid ground and the right path for strengthening mutually mutual relations and of course over regional and international issues.
Meanwhile, Albania has sheltered hundreds of your government's opponents. Are you worried about this, as well as the participation of some Albanian political figures in the MEK's, the most recent developments in Paris in June this year?
First, let me say that terrorism should not be tolerated by any country. Terrorism is a threat, it is a risk not only for one or two countries. It is a threat to the entire international community. This fact has to be understood by everyone. Second, we do not know good or bad terrorists. All terrorists are dangerous because they do not want to see good things happen to people. The difference between a good or bad terrorist, I think that finally misdirects. We should not accept any notion that would categorize a good terrorist against a terrible terrorist, good terrorist organizations against bad terrorist organizations. The organization you are referring to has been responsible for the killing of more than 17,000 innocent Iranians. This fact needs to be kept in mind. Nothing can hide this fact. So, whoever deals with these people, should know the fact that they have committed so many crimes and that they hate the Iranians. This is something that should be remembered by all those people who are in touch with this group.
Finally, Kosovo is the most independent and sovereign country in Europe, recognized by more than 100 countries around the world. What are the obstacles that Iran does not recognize Kosovo? Meanwhile, EU-mediated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade continues.
As I mentioned in my comments above, we think that the Balkans is a sensitive region. The region is important for Europe. We are fully interested in peaceful attitudes to the various tense areas in the Balkans. We believe that the only way to resolve issues is dialogue and understanding. That is why we have strongly supported the ongoing dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. The EU, as you said, is active to bring both sides together and we have supported this because we have the conviction that there is no alternative but dialogue. We hope that a solution can be reached between the two sides, so that the entire region can benefit from such an effort. This is our position on why we support the continuation of the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. We hope that they will finalize their dialogue as soon as possible./Oculus News