Mogherini to visit Tehran August 5

BRUSSELS, Aug 3 (KUNA) -- EU High Representative Federica Mogherini will visit Tehran on Saturday to attend the inauguration ceremony of President Hassan Rouhani. Mogherini will arrive in Tehran on Aug 5 as the head of the Iran-P5+1 Joint Commission, which oversees the implementation of the landmark nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
On this occasion, she will have bilateral meetings with Iranian officials to review the state of implementation of the nuclear deal and to discuss issues of bilateral and regional relevance.
Mogherini will raise human rights issue, said spokesperson for Mogherini, Catherine Ray in a news conference Thursday.
"Human rights remain a central feature of our re-engagement with Iran", noting that freedom of expression and rights of minorities are top issues on the agenda.
"The EU will continue to raise human rights concerns bilaterally as well as in the UN framework," said Ray.
Regarding the new US sanctions on Iran, Ray pointed that the EU-Iran joint commission is the only place to discuss the term of (JCPOA), as being responsible for overseeing the implementation of the nuclear deal.
"The Iranian views related with the status of the sanctions lifting under the (JCPOA) have been extensively discussed in the last Joint Commission meeting which was held in Vienna July 21, Ray said.
"All parties have been implementing their commitments under the deal as confirmed by all sides during their last meeting", she added.
Rouhani, who was reelected as Iran's president in May, is to be officially inaugurated for another four years as the country's chief executive on August 5.
Many senior Iranian and foreign dignitaries will attend the swearing-in ceremony for Rouhani at the parliament.(end) nk.nhq