Iran Press/ Iran news: Speaking with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Stef Blok on Saturday afternoon in Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani also referred to the friendly relations between the two countries for centuries, saying, "We are willing to deepen political and economic relations with the Netherlands".
He added, "Our foreign policy is based on constructive interaction with other countries and we are willing to have warmer relations with the European Union".
Referring to the United States' illegal and unilateral sanctions on Iran, Rouhani said, "The United States' unjust sanctions include even Iranians' medicine and food and it is expected that free nations in the world condemn these illegal sanctions with an explicit tone".
Referring to the United States' unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he said, "We believe that the nuclear deal is beneficial to the region and the world and the US' withdrawal from the deal has been to the detriment of the peoples of the region and the world, and even the American people, and unfortunately within the past 21 months after the Americans' withdrawal from the deal, the EU has not been able to take effective steps in maintaining bilateral relations and living up to its commitments under the deal".
He also said that the root cause of insecurity in the region is the United States' presence and behavior towards the region, saying, "The Iraqi parliament has voted to expel Americans from the country, US forces' presence in Syria is against the will of the government of the country and in other countries like Afghanistan, people are against America's presence in their country".
The President continued, "If the US stops its terrorist acts and unlawful interferences, our region will be safe and secure naturally in its own right".
"Our policy is based on the fact that the security of the region must be protected by regional states themselves and we do not believe foreign forces' presence in the Persian Gulf region under different coalitions is beneficial for the region," said Rouhani.
Rouhani also said that Iran is fully ready to negotiate with the European Union regarding regional issues, adding, "With regard to the fact that the Netherlands is house to great world lawyers and jurists in The Hague, we can have good talks regarding regional security with the language of logic and the law".
At the same meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands also stressed the development of relations between the two countries in all fields of mutual interest, including economic relations and referred to his meetings with representatives of Dutch companies in Tehran, expressing hope that his country can play a more active role in INSTEX.
Stef Blok stressed the importance of saving the JCPOA as an international agreement, saying, "We have told the Americans in private and public that their withdrawal from the deal has not been right".
He also said that his country would try to save the deal, adding, "To do so, we need to continue negotiations, and dialogue can resolve issues and disagreements".
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