Tasnim � Iranian First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri announced that the country plans to open a European Union (EU) office in the capital, Tehran, in a bid to boost bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic and the 28-nation bloc.





Speaking at a meeting with EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan in Tehran on Saturday evening, Jahangiri praised the security condition in Iran and said the country can be a reliable partner for the EU.

�Economic cooperation between Iran and the EU member states is age-old and almost all of the credible European companies have had an active presence in Iran�s economic fields, including energy, industry, and agriculture,� he noted.

Jahangiri also said the establishment of an EU office in Tehran is on the agenda of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, adding that the office can facilitate the implementation of agreements reached between the two sides.

Hogan, for his part, hailed his meeting with the Iranian agriculture minister on the same day and said Iranian banks should improve their standards to boost cooperation between the two sides.

Hogan is in Tehran at the head of a high-ranking EU delegation that comprises 70 members including some officials from Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission as well as representatives of some renowned companies from different European countries.

The visit comes against the backdrop of a new wave of interest in ties with Iran after Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) in July 2015 reached the nuclear deal and started implementing it in January 2016.

The comprehensive nuclear agreement terminated all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran.

However, Iranian officials have complained about the failure of the other side, especially the US, to fully implement the accord, as Iran still has problems in its banking transactions with other countries.