During the meeting in the French capital today, Takht Ravanchi and Gourdault-Montagne explored avenues for bolstering and reinvigorating mutual cooperation, specially in the political and economic fields.
The two sides stressed the importance of Iran as a key player in the region and also discussed the ongoing negotiations between the two countries to resolve regional problems, the need for a more serious role played by France and European countries on the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and the US violation of the JCPOA.
The two sides assessed the forthcoming visit of the French Foreign Minister to Tehran, an important opportunity to exchange views on bilateral and regional issues.
In relevant remarks in late May, French President Emmanuel Macron in a congratulatory message to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani underlined the need for broadening of mutual cooperation between Paris and Tehran, specially in economic and trade fields.
The French president vowed to do his utmost for deepening of economic, scientific and cultural relations with Iran during his tenure as French president.
President Macron also called for resolving the Middle East crises, and expressed the hope that the new government in Iran will help to help the two countries further expand their mutual cooperation.
In relevant remarks in March, French Finance Minister Michel Sapin called for resuming banking relations with Iranian banks.
"It’s our aim and our will to normalized banking ties with Iran even if it can’t be done in one day," Sapin told reporters after his meeting with Iranian Economy Minister Ali Tayyebnia in Tehran.
The French finance minister reiterated that Tehran and Paris cannot broaden their economic ties unless they normalize their cooperation in the banking field.
"France's big banks are international banks. They work around the world, including in the US. It is therefore normal that they worry about respecting American rules with regards to their American activities… I can't blame them, but they need to rebuild trust…We can work with them to understand the rules and find good reasons to work towards developing our relations," Sapin said.
