On the margins of the multilateral conference in New Delhi, the EU top diplomat Josep Borrell met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif. For Borrell it was the first meeting with Zarif in his EU High Representative capacity on Thursday, 16 January 2020 in New Delhi.

In a frank dialogue, they discussed the latest developments around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Josep Borrell underlined the continued interest of the European Union to preserve the agreement, which is now more important than ever, in light of the dangerous escalations in the Middle East and the Gulf region.

Both partners agreed to remain in close touch and continue their engagement in the coming weeks.

High Representative Borrell and Minister Zarif met in the Indian capital on the margins of the Raisina Dialogue 2020, which is a multilateral conference committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community.

Their meeting follows a series of contacts they had since the start of the current crisis on 3 January.