TRT World - World in Focus: Rouhani’s historic visit to Europe

An Iranian President in Europe
Hassan Rouhani... kicking off the first Europe tour by an Iranian president in 16 years, Pope Francis at the Vatican, shook hands with the French president, shopped for cars from Peugeot, and ordered dozens of airbus jets. Now he’s on his way to Belgium and Austria. Rouhani says a history of bad politics and sanctions hurt everyone, but that can be overcome with a will to collaborate. Since 1979, Iran’s relations with the West have been through dramatic changes. In post-revolution Iran, the country’s foreign policy turned towards the East under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini and later, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But now that many of the West’s economic sanctions have been lifted, Iran is wasting no time on improving European ties.

Europe is ‘going back’ and happy
Iran’s economic and political relations with Europe were in limbo for almost two decades. As European sanctions were imposed in the mid 1990s, to augment the ones already imposed by the United States. All of them accused the Islamic Republic of conducting secret nuclear tests. Before reaching a deal last year to end Iran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. But the Europeans are in no hurry to return to the old days of sanctions.

Is Rouhani’s foreign policy a breaking point?
But the question now is whether Iran’s foreign policy will fall in line with the West, or favour leaders in the Gulf as it did in the past. Some analysts argue that Rouhani’s recent foreign policy is similar to President Mohammad Khatami’s in the 1990s. The business deals made by Rouhani in Europe are expected to boost Iran’s economy and improve ties with the West. Many Iranians, tired of all those years of sanctions, no doubt hope that their country’s foreign policy doesn’t do anything to hurt that.