TEHRAN Oct 21 (Shana): Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqhchi has expressed hope Irans oil exports to Japan to rise.Araghchi talked to TheYomiuri Shimbunlast week after attending nuclear negotiations with top officials from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States in Geneva. He was the chief negotiator of Irans nuclear delegation in the talks, which Iran hopes will help end economic sanctions placed on the country and thus expand crude oil exports.
Araghchi, who served as Iranian ambassador to Japan from 2008 to 2011, hopes in particular for improved ties between Japan and Iran to help revive Irans economy.
As a result of negotiations with 5 + 1 [the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany], we hope that we can conclude these negotiations so that the negotiations with Japan would expand much better than before, Araghchi said, suggesting that lifting the sanctions would benefit both Japan and Iran.
Historically, the two countries have friendly relations with each other. The amount of crude oil Iran exported to Japan in 2012 was the fifth-largest by country. Due to the influence of the economic sanctions led by the United States, however, exports to Japan dropped from 560,000 barrels per day in 2006 to 120,000 barrels per day in June this year.
Crude oil exports make up almost half of the total revenue of the Iranian government. Araghchi aims to recover the rapidly declining amount of the countrys crude oil exports to Japan partly to support the financial recovery of Iran.
As for Irans nuclear development, Araghchi said the country aims to be like Japan, emphasizing the idea of promoting the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Araghchi, a career diplomat, was posted to Japan after serving as a vice minister in charge of international laws. During his time as the ambassador to Japan, he had his surname printed in kanji on his business cards. Shortly after the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, he visited Sendai with a donation of 50,000 cans of food. He is also very knowledgeable about Japans nuclear energy administration.
There are signs of the bilateral relations between Japan and Iran becoming more active of late. In September, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Masahiko Komura both held talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida is scheduled to visit Iran in November.
By SHANA
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