Tehran Ready to Study Possible Demand for EU Embassy in Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman said Tehran is ready to consider opening of the European Union embassy in the Iranian capital if the EU submits a formal request.
“Given the importance and capacities of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region, some members of the European Union have expressed willingness to open a (diplomatic) mission in Tehran," Marziyeh Afkham told the Tasnim News Agency on Saturday, and added, "Tehran is prepared to study the issue within the framework of the current relations and respond to it, in case it receives a formal request (from the EU) in this regard,”
Her comments came after the EU countries informally told the European Parliament they want the Union's foreign service to open an embassy in Iran.
Tarja Cronberg, a Finnish Green MEP who chairs the parliament's Iran delegation, has announced earlier that member states' ambassadors in Tehran backed the idea when she met them in the Iranian capital on an official trip earlier this month.
"We held a meeting with all the (EU) ambassadors and they really stressed the importance of more open exchange … They said the best tool for this would be an EU embassy or maybe the creation of an EU special representative (for Iran) as a first step," she told EUobserver.
"The Iranians are also open to the idea … We mentioned it to the foreign minister and the Iranian President's chief of staff and they were generally positive,” Cronberg added.
She also noted that Iranian officials have told her "the EU plays a positive role in the world, but it is not visible enough in the Middle East."
