Iran ready to enhance ties with European states based on mutual respect

Tehran is ready to improve relations with all the European countries based on mutual respect and cooperation, the Iranian foreign ministry said after British officials stressed that they are eager to mend ties with Iran. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Araqchi said Tehran pursues a policy of expanding relations with all the European countries, including Britain, based on mutual interests and respect. Araqchi’s comments came in response to earlier remarks by British Foreign Secretary William Hague about the British government’s willingness to improve ties with Iran. Addressing the House of Commons’ Foreign Affairs Committee in the British capital, London, on Wednesday, Hague had said Britain was ready to improve its relations with Iran “on a step-by-step basis”. Araqchi referred to the statements by Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani about the enhancement of ties with other countries, and said Iran’s foreign policy is based on “enhancing all-out relations with all the EU member states, including Britain” based on “mutual cooperation and respect". “The president-elect has stressed constructive interaction with the world on an equal footing and based on mutual interests and respect as well as the removal of tensions and reciprocal confidence-building,” he underlined. The Iranian official added that the Islamic Republic will reciprocate “positive steps marked by goodwill”. In relevant remarks earlier this month, Rouhani underlined Tehran's policy for having good relations with all friendly states, and said his government will make more efforts to promote ties with the world nations. Expansion of mutual cooperation with friendly countries have always been a priority in his foreign policy, Rouhani said in response to the congratulatory messages of Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, Italian President Giorgio Napolitanos, Brazilian President Dilma Vana Rousseff, Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, and Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.