Iran, Portugal Hold Political Consultations in Tehran

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araqchi and Director General for Foreign Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal Pedro Sanchez Da Costa Pereira met in Tehran on Tuesday.

Da Costa Pereira has travelled to Tehran for the second round of political consultations between Iranian and Portuguese foreign policy director generals.

In the gathering, the two parties discussed bilateral, regional and international issues.

Referring to 500 years of relations between Tehran and Lisbon, Araqchi expressed satisfaction with the cultural and academic interaction between the two countries and described it as an opportunity to deepen social and popular relations, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

Describing the present situation as “sensitive”, Araqchi also emphasized the need to operate serious mechanisms to strengthen bilateral ties.

He also said that Tehran expects the European sides to confront unilateralism, and criticized the European policies on saving the 2015 nuclear deal – JCPOA – at no cost.

Araqchi stressed that the current tense situation in the Persian Gulf region was affected by US interventionist policies, and that the priority of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to achieve security, stability and economic prosperity for the entire region.

For his part, Da Costa Pereira expressed his country’s interest in boosting bilateral relations with Iran, saying Europe seeks to maintain the nuclear deal, and Portugal moves in line with the EU policies in this regard.