Jahangiri said: "Iran expects the European Union, as a key player within the international arena, to adopt a robust stance vis-a-vis America's unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear accord ( the JCPOA ). That would set a precedent, and it would be a lesson for the international community."
Jahangiri made the remark in a meeting on Monday with Emil Karanikolov, the economy and energy minister of Bulgaria. Bulgaria currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.
Jahangiri went on to emphasize that America's withdrawal from the JCPOA was in many ways unlawful, and it sets a dangerous precedent because it seems to imply that an international dispute, for example the dispute over Iran's peaceful civilian nuclear energy programme, cannot be solved through negotiations and diplomacy. And that is dangerous.
Jahangiri added: The nuclear accord (JCPOA ) is an important international agreement , it is a multilateral agreement, one which has been endorsed by the U.N. security council; America's withdrawal from this multilateral accord goes against international laws and norms.
Turning to the issue of terrorism in the middle east, Es'haq Jahangiri referred to the creation and training of Daesh ( or ISIS ) terrorists by the United States, and support for them by a number of regional countries such as Saudi Arabia, emphasizing that Iran stood firm against the terrorists and helped regional nations which are fighting terrorists. Jahangiri said we hope to uproot terrorism from this region.
Turning to Syria and Yemen, Jahangiri said there is no military solution to the crises in Syria and Yemen, and we need to find a political solution to those problems.
Commenting on drug trafficking, particularly from Afghanistan, through Iran, and onwards to Europe, Jahangiri said we expect the European Union to play a more active role vis-a-vis the problems of drug trafficking and terrorism.
Jahangiri also said both countries can attract tourists in large numbers, and that we support establishing direct flights between Tehran and Sofia.
For his part, Bulgarian Minister of Economy and Energy, Emil Karanikolov, referred to Iran as Bulgaria's and European Union's "strategic partner", and said he supports further development of economic and commercial ties between Tehran and Sofia.
Karanikolov said Iranian businessmen, industrialists, and exporters can access the European Union market through Bulgaria.
Karanikolov said Bulgaria's top bankers, financiers, and businessmen are accompanying him on this trip to Tehran, and that one of Bulgaria's top priorities is to remove obstacles in trade and interactions between Bulgarian and Iranian banks. He said hopefully we shall remove these obstacles and the coming year, business and trade between the two countries will improve significantly.
