Zarif meets several European officials in London

TEHRAN, Feb. 06 (MNA) – Before concluding his trip to London to discuss Syrian crisis, Iran’s FM had several meetings and appointments on the agenda. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had travelled to Britain on Wednesday February 3 leading a delegation to participate in the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference, held in London. On Friday, the last day of his stay in London, Zarif met and talked with several authorities including Britain’s treasury secretary, national security advisor, leader of the Labor Party as well as a gathering of economic activists. During the meeting with George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Iran’s FM referred to the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as well as Iran’s commitment to obligations calling for the resolution of some problems in the development of economic, banking and finance cooperation between the two countries. George Osborne, for his part, confirmed the need to remove the existing barriers emphasizing “the UK will meet all commitments with regard to JCPOA exploiting all necessary means.” The British official further reported on the measures for resolving the challenges faced by Iranian banks located in London. Moahmmad Javad Zarif also attended the joint meeting of the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank as well as the Royal United Services Institute. Speaking at the meeting, Iran’s Zarif described the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards foreign affairs as well as the regional developments. Still on a separate occasion on Friday, FM Zarif met with Britain's National Security Adviser Mark Lyall Grant where the two sides discussed bilateral and regional issues. The Iranian official further attended a meeting with Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party in Britain. During the meeting the two sides discussed relations between the two countries and exchanged view on the development of parliamentary cooperation. Moreover, Iranian foreign minister took part in the banquet held by the British Minister of State for Trade and Investment Lord Livingston and the European country’s trade representative to Iran as well as a number of English and European companies’ executives. Mohammad Javad Zarif described the latest status of JCPOA implementation as well as the sides’ commitment to obligations. He further explained the grounds for bolstering bilateral ties urging the presence of the companies in Iran’s technology and investment market. During the meeting, appropriate responses were given to questions on venues for economic cooperation with Iran presented by several companies including Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Shell, etc.