Iran keen to supply energy to Italy

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani voiced the Islamic Republic’s willingness to supply Italy with energy on a sustainable basis. Rouhani made the announcement in a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta on the sidelines of the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York earlier this week. The Iranian president stressed the need for the acceleration of Tehran-Rome relations, saying: “The Islamic Republic of Iran is still interested in sustainable energy supply to Italy and to that effect bilateral relations could be broadened. Underscoring deep-seated relations between Iran and Italy, Rouhani called for broader economic, cultural, scientific, academic and tourism cooperation. The Iranian president also referred to the ongoing crisis in Syria, which he described as regrettable. Rouhani called for cooperation between countries in the region to fight terrorism in order to help Syria get out of civil war. The Iranian president also noted that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful, adding that Tehran is ready to allay concerns about the nature of Iran’s program. “The sanctions have had no impact on Iran’s nuclear program and they have only ramped up pressure on people. We consider these sanctions as illegal and inhumane,” said Rouhani. “As a member state of the European Union, Italy can help to the settlement of the nuclear dispute,” he added. For this part, the Italian prime minister said Italy, which will get the rotating presidency of the EU in 2016, will try its best to expand cooperation between Iran and the European countries. Letta said Italy supports the ongoing nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers in order to dispel doubts about Tehran’s nuclear activities. He added that the European Union is willing to become a reliable partner for the Islamic Republic.