The Iranian ambassador to Italy says the upcoming visit by Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino to Iran heralds the opening of a new promising chapter in Tehran-Rome relations.

“I consider the visit by Ms. Bonino to Tehran [to be] effective and to bode well for good relations between Iran and Italy,” said Jahanbakhsh Mozaffari in a Friday interview.

Bonino is scheduled to pay an official visit to Iran on Saturday to discuss with senior Iranian officials grounds for the enhancement of cooperation between Rome and Tehran.
Mozaffari pointed to a previous visit by Italy’s Deputy Foreign Minister Lapo Pistelli to Iran in August following the election of President Hassan Rouhani and said, “Italy, as a European country which dispatched to Iran the first delegation at the deputy ministerial level, has sought to play a pioneering role in relations with Iran.”
The Iranian diplomat praised Italy’s positions in the European Union about Iran’s nuclear energy program and the Syria crisis as “very positive and brave.”

He noted that the Italian foreign minister will meet with Iran President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani. She is also likely to meet with Director of Iran's Department of the Environment Masoumeh Ebtekar and Vice-President for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Elham Aminzadeh.

Bonino is the first Italian foreign minister to visit Iran in nearly a decade and she will be accompanied by 20 Italian journalists, Mozaffari pointed out.

Mozaffari also stated that a week after Bonino’s visit, chairman of Italian Parliament’s Foreign Policy Committee will be visiting Tehran, and the latter's trip will be followed by another visit by Italy’s Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism Massimo Bray.

The Iranian diplomat also noted that there may be other visits by Italian officials at higher levels in the future.

Earlier on November 19, Iran's foreign minister travelled to Italy and held talks with his Italian counterpart in Rome.

By Press TV

 

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