Iran sanctions harming Spain's interests

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo in a meeting with Iranian Vice-President and Head of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) Mohammad Ali Najafi expressed regret that his country has lost much due to the western sanctions against Tehran. “Spain has sustained losses due to the imposition of sanctions against Iran,” Garcia-Margallo said, adding that Madrid imported 14% of its needed oil from Iran before the US-led sanctions were imposed against the country. He underlined his interest in visiting and expanding ties with Iran, and said, “Principles of Spain’s foreign policy are based on the spread of peace in the world and Iran’s relations with Spain will grow in proportion to the progress of the ties between Iran and the EU.” Najafi, for his part, expressed the hope that better grounds and atmosphere would be provided for further cooperation between the two countries through the removal of the western embargos against Tehran. In similar remarks earlier this month, Garcia-Margallo had stated in a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Madrid Morteza Saffari that Madrid is willing to further expand bilateral ties with Iran. Garcia-Margallo pointed to his country’s economic potentials and capabilities in different fields, and expressed the hope that the two countries’ relations and also exchange of visits by the Iranian and Spanish high-ranking officials will increase in the near future. “Spanish companies have high-level expertise and experience in renewable energies, water, sewage and infrastructure projects which provide good opportunities for enhancement of economic relations between Tehran and Madrid,” the Spanish foreign minister said. The Iranian ambassador, for his part, pointed to capabilities of both sides, and underlined the further expansion of interactions between Iran and Spain in political, economic and cultural fields. Saffari submitted an invitation letter by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to Garcia-Margallo to pay an official visit to Iran in the near future. Iran and Spain have enjoyed amicable ties for centuries based on mutual understanding. The volume of the trade exchanges between the two countries amounted to 4 billion Euros in 2011, while the figure stood at 3.5 billion Euros in 2009.