“Good progress has been made in the nuclear field through negotiations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the P5+1 negotiating group,” Rouhani told the new Austrian Ambassador to Tehran Friedrich Stift on Tuesday.
The Iranian president expressed hope that more effective steps would be taken in the upcoming nuclear talks between Iran and the six powers -- the United States, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany.
He also called on Austria, as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to play a more active role in the UN nuclear monitoring agency to resolve Iran’s nuclear issue.
Iran and the six powers held closed-door discussions on the country’s nuclear energy program in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 15-16. The two sides agreed to meet again in the Swiss city on November 7-8.
President Rouhani further praised cultural ties between Tehran and Vienna, saying, “Iran’s new administration has a serious will to broaden its relations with Austria in cultural, social and economic sectors.”
The Austrian ambassador, for his part, submitted his credentials to President Rouhani, describing his presence in Iran and his meetings with Iranian officials as positive and constructive.
SHI/SHI