Meeting between H.E. Dr. Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Mayor of Tehran, and Mr. Hirofumi Nakasone, Minister for Foreign Affairs

October 17, 2008

From 6:00 p.m., October 17, Mr. Hirofumi Nakasone, Minister for Foreign Affairs, had a meeting for about 30 minutes at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with H.E. Dr. Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Mayor of Tehran, who is visiting Japan under the Opinion Leader Invitation Program.

In the meeting, Foreign Minister Nakasone expressed his hope that Iran would be a constructive pillar of the international community, while referring to the traditional friendly relations between Japan and the Islamic Republic of Iran. On Iran’s nuclear issue, Mr. Nakasone conveyed Japan’s consistent stance as the only nation to have suffered atomic bombings, and said that it was important for Iran to gain confidence of the international community and that Japan hoped that Iran would comply with the requirements of the successive Security Council resolutions before the country exercised the right of peaceful use of nuclear energy. Mr. Nakasone also said that Japan would be willing to cooperate with Iran for that purpose.
In response, Mayor Ghalibaf expressed his hope of strengthening the bilateral relations and showed expectation that Japan would play a more active role in solving regional issues. On Iran’s nuclear issue, Mr. Ghalibaf, while reiterating the country’s known position, said that Iran would make further efforts to gain the confidence of the international community. Mr. Ghalibaf also briefed Mr. Nakasone on Iran’s current political and economic situation.

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