IRNA - Swiss ambassador to Tehran Markus Leitner, while stating that his country is seeking to establish an independent payment channel with Iran, emphasized that the European countries are trying to maintain the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

At his meeting with Kazem Jalali, chairman of Iranian Parliament's Research Center and head of the Islamic Republic of Iran-EU Parliamentary Relations Group, Laitner said on Tuesday that Switzerland had the successful financial cooperation with Iran in the previous period of sanctions.

The high-profile diplomat added, 'In addition to the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), we are launching an independent payment channel between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Switzerland.'

The ambassador emphasized: 'We believe JCPOA is an agreement and an international treaty that must be fully implemented.'

Laitner said that although Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, it is steadfastly following the issue of the implementation of the SPV, emphasizing that the European countries are seeking to keep up JCPOA.

The Swiss ambassador to Tehran recognized the mutual trust and interaction between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Switzerland as a valuable investment for both countries, and noted that Bern is seeking to establish new partnerships with Tehran in agricultural and academic fields.

Kazem Jalali, for his part, referred to the background of cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Switzerland and described the scope of these two-way interactions as extended while emphasizing the need to promote these relations.