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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani continues his Europe tour following the lifting of international sanctions on his country.
On Thursday, Rouhani held a joint press conference with his French counterpart Francois Hollande, after their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
On Thursday, Rouhani held a joint press conference with his French counterpart Francois Hollande, after their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris
Syria was one of the focus of their talks, and Rouhani said that defeating terrorists such as Islamic State is the pressing issue for Syria, and not who is running the country.
"The problem today in Syria and the region is not a question of 'this person' or 'that person'," Rouhani said.
"The main problem is terrorism; it's the problem of Daesh; it's those who are buying petrol from these terrorist groups; those who are giving weapons to these groups, and those who are providing political support to terrorist groups."
"For Syria it is of course urgent to put humanitarian measures into place but also negotiate a political transition, which is possible. For now, it is waiting for a negotiation that is taking time to get underway," Hollande said.
The two leaders also discussed reviving economic ties now that sanctions on Iran are lifted. The two sides signed a total of 20 agreements.
The most eye-catching of the deals is a commitment for Tehran to buy 118 Airbus aircraft to update its ageing fleet. Another agreement saw French carmaker Peugeot renew its business in Iran with a five-year venture worth 400 million euros.
The company was forced out of Iran in 2012 after sanctions began. Rouhani later attended a business forum and met with French Prime Minister Manuel Valls. The stop in France is the second and final leg of Rouhani's European tour, after his visit to Italy.
中文国际网摘编：GAN JADE |
