Japan FM says nuclear deal will speed Iran cooperation

Fumio Kishida says cooperation council was to be set up with Iran's government to improve contacts between ministries

TEHRAN: Japan's foreign minister said on a visit to Tehran on Monday he hoped Iran's nuclear deal with world powers would be swiftly implemented because his country wants to benefit from it.

Fumio Kishida, who was accompanied by Japanese business executives, said a cooperation council was to be set up with Iran's government to improve contacts between ministries.

"We want to benefit from this opportunity," he said at a joint press conference with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. "We are looking at what we can do to capitalise on the nuclear deal."

A new cooperation agreement would speed up new ventures, Kishida said. "So we are looking for it to be sent as soon as possible so that it can be approved by (Iran's) parliament," he said.

Monday's visit was the first time a Japanese foreign minister had been accompanied to Iran by business delegates since the Islamic revolution in 1979, according to Kishida.

In later meetings on Monday, he and Zarif would discuss the situation in civil war-torn Syria and other violence in the Middle East, he added.

The nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers (Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany) was agreed on July 14. Its implementation is due by the end of 2015.

In exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities — Iran denies ever seeking an atomic weapon — all EU, US and UN nuclear-related sanctions against Iran will be lifted.