Rouhani leaves Tehran to Switzerland, Austria for key talks
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has left Tehran for Bern, Switzerland, on July 2, as first step of his European tour which will later take him to Austria.
Heading a high-ranking political and economic delegation, Rouhani will visit the two European countries at the invitation of the counterparts.
Rouhani is scheduled to meet with the President of Switzerland Alain Berset and Iranians residing in the country, and attend the ceremony for signing of different cooperation documents in political, economic and cultural fields during his two-day stay in the country.
A number of agreements and declarations of intent were expected to be signed during the visit, including the Iran nuclear agreement and the situation in the Middle East.
The Iranian president will then leave Bern heading for Vienna, Austria and meet with the senior Austrian officials including President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and similarly oversee the signing of several documents for cooperation.
Rouhani is accompanied by a number of ministers and political and economic officials, as well as entrepreneurs and the representatives of Iranian private sector.
Rouhani’s visit comes after the US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the nuclear deal reached between Tehran and the six world powers in 2015.
He is expected to discuss ways of improving mutual relations with the European countries amid the looming imposition of US economic sanctions on Tehran.
After the US exit from the historic deal, European countries have been scrambling to ensure that Iran gets enough economic benefits to persuade it to stay in the deal.
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