Rouhani Proposes Iran-EU Joint Campaign against Violence, Terrorism, Extremism

(FNA)- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos in Tehran on Sunday announced that Tehran is ready to cooperate with the European countries in fighting violence, terrorism and extremism.

During the meeting, President Rouhani pointed to the UN approval of his proposal on World Against Violence and Extremism (WAVE), and said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is seriously prepared to cooperate with the European Union against violence, terrorism and extremism within the framework of the WAVE.”

The Iranian president underlined that Iran is ready to cooperate with EU on strategic issues besides economic, trade and cultural relations, and said, “Energy, transit, regional stability and security and fighting against violence, terrorism and extremism are among these issues.”

President Rouhani referred to Greece’s rotating chairmanship of the European Union, and said, “… I believe that the traditional and historical relations between Iran and the EU should be reconstructed, and this will benefit both sides.”

The Greek foreign minister, for his part, said Greece as rotating head of the European Union will do its best to enhance EU-Iran relations.

“We believe the new government in Iran can play an important role in building mutual confidence,” Venizelos said.

On December 18, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to approve Rouhani’s WAVE proposal, which calls on all nations across the globe to denounce violence and extremism. The Iranian president had made the proposal in his address to the UN Disarmament Conference in New York on September 25.

Under the UN resolution adopted in accordance with the WAVE proposal, the General Assembly would urge member states to take “appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace and to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character”.