Iran welcomes Cyprus as the next EU president

TEHRAN, Nov. 16 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Cyprus’s presidency of the European Union in the next year will provide a good opportunity for expansion of ties between Iran and the EU. Cyprus will take over the rotating presidency of the EU in the second half of 2012. In a meeting with the outgoing Cypriot ambassador to Tehran, Efsthatios K. Orphanides, late on Monday, Salehi stressed the mutual needs of countries to each other and hoped that the EU would take a realistic approach toward Iran. The foreign minister also announced Iran’s preparedness to broaden relations with Cyprus in the areas of energy, education, tourism, and transportation and called for consular and double taxation avoidance agreements. Elsewhere in his remarks, Salehi called for a continuation of Nicosia’s principled and logical support for the Palestinian people. For his part, Ambassador Efsthatios K. Orphanides appreciated Iranian officials' cooperation during his tenure in Iran. The ambassador also expressed hope that the Cypriot presidency of the EU would help improve Iran-EU ties.