Zarif: Iran not to wait for Europe, will work with traditional partners

Tehran, Jan 8, IRNA – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran will continue engagement with European countries but will not waste time on them. Talking to reporters in New Delhi on Monday, he said 'We are in touch with Europe but we are not waiting for Europe.' He went on to note that 'Europeans have been trying but unfortunately they have not been able to move forward as we have expected them.' 'We are not waiting for them, we are working with our traditional partners like India, China and Russia so that we are working in the interests of our people,' Zarif reiterated. Referring to good relations between Iran and India, Iranian foreign minister said, 'as with India , we are expanding areas of cooperation to various channels that we have both through direct channels as well as through barter and providing for the requirements of the two countries.' He also pointed to US unilateral sanctions as impacting India as a customer of Iranian urea fertilizers, saying now the Indian customers, Indian consumers and Indian farmers are paying 38% more for the fertilizers and we have possibilities for providing that to India at a rate that is reasonable for Indians and that is what we are discussing with the minister therefore while we continue to work with the Europeans under special purpose.' Heading a high-ranking delegation, Zarif is in India to participate in Raisina Dialogue. The Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral conference held in New Delhi annually. Since its inception in 2016, the conference has emerged as India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics. Iranian Foreign Minister is also supposed to deliver speech in a business forum which is underway with the attendance of Iranian and Indian economic activists. Meeting his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj, India's oil minister and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi are on Zarif's itinerary. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish