Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini issued a joint statement on Saturday announcing the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly called the nuclear deal.

U.S. President Barack Obama signed on Saturday an executive order to lift sanctions on Iran related to its nuclear program.

In a written interview with Xinhua news agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday that the “implementation day” of the Iranian nuclear deal is “worth celebrating” for the Iranian people and has a “demonstrative effect” while the international nuclear non-proliferation regime is facing test.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida also welcomed the nuclear deal Iran has negotiated with six world powers in a statement published on the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s website Sunday.

“The Government of Japan welcomes that the final agreement has reached the phase of implementation as a result of strenuous efforts made by all the negotiating parties and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),” Kishida said.

“Seizing this opportunity of important progress, Japan will further strengthen the historically friendly relationship with Iran,” Kishida stressed.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the implementation of the deal marks “a historic success for diplomacy”.

The diplomatic victory allows for the hope that “we may yet succeed in defusing other urgent crises and conflicts in the region, especially regarding the civil war in Syria,” he said in a statement.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also welcomed the start of the implementation of the nuclear agreement with Iran.