Tehran, Feb 3, IRNA – German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that Iran and Germany are deeply interested in closer bilateral relations as the nuclear Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has opened a new window to Tehran-Berlin ties.


He made the statement in a joint press conference following a meeting here on Tuesday evening with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during which he said his second visit to Tehran in three months focused on good issues as well as those which are a source of concern.

'I am confident the JCPOA made the world and region safer, and for the years to come narrowed prospects of nuclearization of the region,' he said expressing his satisfaction over the deal reached between Iran and world powers in Vienna last summer.

On regional crises, the German foreign minister called for a change in the conditions so that bloodshed can be stopped and a political solution is achieved.
'It is why we say that JCPOA is important,' he added.

He said it is not a secret that there are differences over the settlement of the Syrian crisis. 'We shall act upon the understanding reached under UN supervision so that it will result in negotiations between the Syrian government and its opposition.'
The German foreign minister said that Iran and Saudi Arabia are the two countries that can contribute to the settlement of crisis in Syria and that he will visit Riyadh on Wednesday.

To a question on Germany's likely mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Steinmeier said, 'I think it is not necessary that I want to mediate between two neighboring countries of Iran and Saudi Arabia or that they need a mediatior.'
He also said that in his scheduled meeting with President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday, the issue of his next state visit to Europe will be discussed.
By IRNA