EU, ASEAN leaders committed to Iran nuclear deal
BRUSSELS – European and Asian leaders at a summit in Brussels reiterated their commitment to the Iran nuclear deal just over two weeks ahead of incoming US sanctions on Iran’s oil sector.
High-level representatives of 51 EU and ASEAN nations met for a two-day summit in Brussels.
In their concluding statement, they said they remained committed to the Iran nuclear deal, the JCPOA, “which is working and delivering on its goal, namely to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.”
And they said that lifting sanctions slapped on Iran by Washington “constitutes an essential part” of the agreement.
“Preserving the nuclear deal with Iran is a matter of respecting international agreements, and promoting international security, peace and stability,” the statement concluded.
The JCPOA was originally signed with Iran by the five members of the UN Security Council – US, Russia, China, UK, France – and Germany.
After the US pulled out, the remaining signatories have struggled to keep the deal alive. To get around the US sanctions, the European Union opted to create new payment methods in order to ensure legal trade with Iran can continue.
EU nations are now “working on concrete establishment” of the new system, Federica Mogherini, EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, told reporters on the sidelines of the summit.
It should be complete in the coming weeks, she added.
Cementing ties with Asian nations is crucial to saving the nuclear deal, she said, noting that countries in Asia have vested interests in the nuclear deal surviving.
“Our partners from Asia have always shown a lot of interest in working to keep the full implementation of the JCPOA, obviously for security reasons that concern also Asia and central Asia,” she said in answer to a question from Rudaw’s Zinar Shino.
“But we tend to forget the Iran is not only a Middle Eastern country, it’s also a country that has long borders with Afghanistan, for instance, and that has many interests and links with Asia.”
High-level representatives of 51 EU and ASEAN nations met for a two-day summit in Brussels.
In their concluding statement, they said they remained committed to the Iran nuclear deal, the JCPOA, “which is working and delivering on its goal, namely to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.”
And they said that lifting sanctions slapped on Iran by Washington “constitutes an essential part” of the agreement.
“Preserving the nuclear deal with Iran is a matter of respecting international agreements, and promoting international security, peace and stability,” the statement concluded.
The JCPOA was originally signed with Iran by the five members of the UN Security Council – US, Russia, China, UK, France – and Germany.
After the US pulled out, the remaining signatories have struggled to keep the deal alive. To get around the US sanctions, the European Union opted to create new payment methods in order to ensure legal trade with Iran can continue.
EU nations are now “working on concrete establishment” of the new system, Federica Mogherini, EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, told reporters on the sidelines of the summit.
It should be complete in the coming weeks, she added.
Cementing ties with Asian nations is crucial to saving the nuclear deal, she said, noting that countries in Asia have vested interests in the nuclear deal surviving.
“Our partners from Asia have always shown a lot of interest in working to keep the full implementation of the JCPOA, obviously for security reasons that concern also Asia and central Asia,” she said in answer to a question from Rudaw’s Zinar Shino.
“But we tend to forget the Iran is not only a Middle Eastern country, it’s also a country that has long borders with Afghanistan, for instance, and that has many interests and links with Asia.”