London, Dec 11, IRNA -- Iran?s new envoy to Britain arrived in London on Wednesday afternoon, after British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Wednesday William Hague earlier on Wednesday welcomed him in his Twitter page, as ties thaw between the two countries.

Earlier it was reported that the UK appointed Ajay Sharma as the charge d?affaires in Iran. Previously Ajay Sharma served as head of the Iran Department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK.


The visit by Hassan Habibollah-Zadeh follows a trip to Tehran last week by his British counterpart.

Sharma?s visit was the first time a British diplomat has gone to Iran since a group of angry university students briefly occupied the British embassy two years ago, pushing relations into deep freeze.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman told the AFP that Habibollah-Zadeh would spend Thursday and Friday in Britain.

?He will meet UK officials at the Foreign Office on Friday 13, including the UK non-resident charge d?affaires Ajay Sharma,? the spokeswoman said.

In October it was reported that the UK and Iran agreed on the appointment of a charges d?affaires to restore diplomatic relations which were broken off after intruders attacked the British Embassy in Tehran in 2011.

Britain shut its Tehran embassy after it was trivially damaged in the November 2011 short time occupation by students who were protesting against western sanctions over Iran?s peaceful nuclear program.

But relations have improved since President Hassan Rouhani became Iran?s new president in August.

The two countries each named a non-resident charge d?affaires -- a diplomatic post that is one level below ambassador -- last month.

By IRNA

 

The Iran Project is not responsible for the content of quoted articles.