Pakistan, global powers welcome Iran nuclear deal

ISLAMABAD:
As Iran and six major world powers reached a nuclear deal on Tuesday, Pakistan welcomed the development.

“Pakistan welcomes the nuclear agreement reached between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the P5 + 1, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statement said Pakistan has consistently maintained that the Iran nuclear issue should be peacefully resolved through dialogue.

“As a neighbouring country, we have also reiterated that reciprocal confidence-building measures relating to Iran’s nuclear programme auger well for peace and security in our region.”

Read: Iran, big powers clinch landmark nuclear deal

Pakistan looks forward to the expeditious and smooth implementation of the provisions of the comprehensive nuclear agreement by all its signatories, added the statement.

Meanwhile, world leaders, including UN chief Ban Ki-moon also congratulated Tehran and global powers for reaching an agreement.

"It's a very important deal that was signed overnight, the world is making headway," said French President Francois Hollande in his traditional annual televised interview on France's national day.

In a message to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Syrian President Basharul Assad congratulated Tehran on a deal he said would be a "major turning point in the history of Iran, the region and the world".

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the “historic agreement” could help bring peace to the Middle East.

Ban praised the "determination and the commitment" of the negotiators who hammered out the deal, as well as the "courage of the leaders" who approved it.

"I hope - and indeed believe - that this agreement will lead to greater mutual understanding and cooperation on the many serious security challenges in the Middle East," Ban said in a statement.

"As such, it could serve as a vital contribution to peace and stability both in the region and beyond."

Ban, who was in Ethiopia for a development financing summit, said the United Nations "stands ready to fully cooperate with the parties in the process of implementing this historic and important agreement."

Britain also hailed the nuclear deal and hoped the deal would trigger a significant change in Tehran's relations with the rest of the world.

Read: Obama says deal offers opportunity for 'new direction' in Iran ties

"We hope, and expect, that this agreement will herald a step-change in Iran's relations with its neighbours and with the international community," Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said in a statement.


He said the agreement imposed strict limits and inspections on Iran's nuclear programme and the international community could have confidence that the programme was, and would remain "exclusively peaceful".

"Our focus will now be on its swift and full implementation to make sure that a nuclear weapon remains beyond Iran's reach," said Hammond.

"We recognise the concern in the region about Iran's historic pattern of regional activity.

"We will maintain our clear position in support of the Gulf states and against Iranian interference in their internal affairs."

He said the removal over time of economic and financial sanctions represented a "huge opportunity for Iranians to make positive decisions about their country's future and its role in the region".

"We will continue to work closely with our international partners to encourage Iran to play a transparent and constructive role in regional affairs, particularly in the struggle against violent extremism," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin termed Iran deal as a "firm choice for stability and cooperation".

"We are certain that today the world has breathed a huge sigh of relief," Putin said in a statement published on the Kremlin's website.

"Despite attempts to argue in favour of scenarios of force, the participants of the talks made a firm choice for stability and cooperation."

Putin said Moscow would "do everything in its power" to ensure the agreement worked and called on all sides to fulfill their part of the bargain.

"We expect that all of the interested parties, primarily the 5+1 countries, will fully adhere to the decisions that have been reached," Putin said.

Twitterati also appreciated the nuclear agreement:

Others signalled its positive signs for Pakistan as well: