Rouhani and Merkel held their first meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
In the long-awaited meeting, they discussed ways to maintain and boost the economic relations and cooperation between Tehran and Berlin, save the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, and reduce tensions in the region.
They also talked about Iran’s new initiative for regional peace and security in the Persian Gulf, known as the “Hormuz Peace Initiative”, considering the critical conditions across the region.
Hailing Germany as one of Iran’s major partners, Rouhani called for efforts to continue the old and friendly ties between the two countries.
The president, however, dismissed the “groundless accusations” that Germany, France and the UK have levelled against Iran in a recent statement at the UN, according to IFP News.
He also stressed that all parties to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal were duty-bound to honor the JCPOA and salvage the important international agreement after the US unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018.
For her part, Merkel reaffirmed support for the continuation of the JCPOA, and called for the removal of sanctions against Iran.
She also said that Germany and the other European states were determined to carry out INSTEX, a payment channel that the three European parties to the JCPOA (Germany, France, and the UK) have established to maintain trade with Iran.
Merkel further said Berlin would eagerly consider Iran’s initiative for peace, stressing that her country supports any prudent measure for the reduction of tensions in the region.
The Iranian president has also held meetings with the leaders of France, Japan, the UK, Sweden, Switzerland and Pakistan on the sidelines of the UN meeting in New York.
