Iran, Ireland keen to broaden parliamentary ties

Head of Iran-Ireland Parliamentary Friendship Group Javad Heravi and Chairman of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament) Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade Pat Breen, in a meeting in Tehran on Saturday, explored avenues for bolstering and reinvigorating bilateral ties between the two states, specially in parliamentary grounds. During the meeting in the Iranian capital today, Heravi and Breen underlined the need for the further expansion of parliamentary ties between the two republics. The senior Iranian lawmaker pointed to the important and influential role of parliamentary cooperation, and said, “Expansion of parliamentary ties provides a suitable ground for the enhancement of the relations and familiarity with the two sides' capacities.” Breen, for his part, pointed to the status quo of Iran-Ireland relations, and said, “The Irish parliament is interested in broadening mutual and friendly cooperation with the Iranian legislature.” A delegation from the Irish parliament led by Breen arrived in Tehran on Friday morning to discuss ways to expand bilateral ties. During the four-day official visit to Iran, the Irish delegation will also meet Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Ireland is an island to the north-west of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on the earth. To its East is the larger island of the Great Britain, from which it is separated by the Irish Sea. Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of Britain which covers the remainder and is located in the Northeast of the island. The population of Ireland is approximately 6.4 million.