Iran’s president visits Rome then Paris for first state visit

Late Saturday he met supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said Tehran “would never forget” Beijing’s cooperation during the years of global sanctions against Iran.

European regulators have banned all but 12 of Iran Air’s fleet from using European Union airspace, because the airline has failed to show that its aircraft meet worldwide safety standards. “Iran is China’s major partner in the Middle East and the two countries have chosen to boost bilateral relations”, IRNA quoted Xi as saying.

Trade between the two countries stood at some $52 billion in 2014, before the plunge in oil prices.

“We are open to buying from Boeing”, Mr. Akhoundi said in a brief interview little more than a week after the USA and Western countries agreed to lift an embargo on aircraft sales to Iran as part of a wider accord to end the country’s nuclear-weapons programs. Khamenei said Iran would never forget Chinese cooperations during the sanctions.

He said the first batch of new planes would arrive in Iran by March 19 but provided no financial details of the deal with Airbus.

The two leaders also saw the signing of 17 bilateral agreement documents for cooperation in fields such as infrastructure improvement, investment and the environment during a ceremony broadcast live on state television. “That’s why Tehran seeks cooperation with more independent countries (like China)”, Khamenei said.

The deal is set to be signed this week during a visit to Paris by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the minister said.

Iran was the last leg of the Chinese President’s 5-day trip to the Middle East, which also took him to Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Rouhani will lead a delegation of more than 120 people, including other government ministers, business figures and entrepreneurs in his visit to France and Italy, as Iran looks to capitalize on the thawing of relations between Tehran and the West.

“We need to modernise our aviation fleet and buy locomotives”, the Iranian president said.

As economic sanctions have been lifted after landmark nuclear deal, the Iranian president Hassan Rouhani Monday began his officials trip to Europe to rebuild ties broken since 1999.

The Islamic Republic is seeking to reap the benefits of its nuclear agreement with world powers in July, which paved the way for the lifting of economic sanctions this month as Iran seeks to revive economic growth and lower unemployment.