The announcement occurs on the third and last day of a visit by Mr. Raïssi, the first of an Iranian president in China for over 20 years.
MO12345lemonde with AFP
He “accepted the invitation with pleasure”. Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to Iran, the Chinese Foreign Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday, February 16, after a visit to Beijing of Iranian President Ebrahim Raïssi. For the moment, no date has been advanced.
The last state visit to Iran of the Chinese president dates from January 2016. The announcement comes on the third and last day of a visit by Mr. Raïssi, the first of an Iranian president in China for more than 20 years.
Political and economic partners, the two countries face Western pressures, in particular because of their positions vis-à-vis the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Iran is already the subject of American sanctions due to its nuclear program.
In the press release Thursday, the two countries are calling for the lifting of American sanctions, believing that “guaranteeing Iran’s economic dividends” constituted “an important part” of the nuclear agreement signed in 2015. They call Also to “the full and effective application” of this agreement, blaming “the unilateral withdrawal of the United States” for current tensions. 2> “Solidarity” and “Cooperation”
Iran is one of the last major countries to provide support for Russia, whose diplomatic isolation has been growing since the start of the Russian military intervention in late February 2022. Western countries accuse the Islamic Republic in particular to provide Moscow with armed military drones used against Ukraine, which Tehran denies.
Tuesday, President Xi Jinping rented “Solidarity” China-Iran, declaring that “faced with the complex situation trained by the developments of the world, the time and history, China and Iran support each other, display their solidarity and cooperation “.
Beijing had signed in 2021 a vast strategic agreement over 25 years with Tehran. This large partnership covers areas as varied as energy, security, infrastructure and communications.