Senior Iranian nuclear negotiator Seyyed Abbas Araqchi says Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has invited EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to the Islamic Republic.Mrs. Ashton has an open invitation from Mr. Zarif to travel to Iran, said the Iranian deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs on Saturday.
Asked if the two officials would meet during their upcoming visits to the region, Araqchi said, Currently, no meeting has been scheduled.
An informed source also told IRNA on condition of anonymity that Zarif had invited Ashton to visit Iran.
Of course, the invitation is nothing newthe invitation was extended during Zarifs visit to New York to attend [the 68th Session of] the United Nations General Assembly, the source said.
The source said during his first meeting with the EU foreign policy chief on the sidelines of the General Assembly session, the Iranian foreign minister invited her to travel to Iran, therefore, Ashton has a general invitation to travel to Tehran.
On Thursday, Helga Schmid, a deputy for the EU foreign policy, senior Iranian nuclear negotiator Seyyed Abbas Araqchi, and US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman held talks on the remaining issues related to a deal reached between Iran and the P5+1 (permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) over the Islamic Republics nuclear energy program in Geneva in November 2013.
On Friday, Iran and the European Union said very good progress had been made in talks over outstanding issues pertaining to the implementation of the deal.
Under the Geneva deal, the six countries undertook to provide Iran with some sanction relief in exchange for Iran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities during a six-month period. It was also agreed that no nuclear-related sanctions would be imposed on Iran within the same timeframe.
By Press TV
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