TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has underlined the need for mutual respect in Iran-France relations.

He did so during a two-hour meeting with his French counterpart Catherine Colona in Beijing. Amir Abdollahian said he had a “frank and useful” talks with the French foreign minister, which lasted for two hours. 

The Iranian foreign minister said he discussed issues such as the Iran-Saudi deal, Ukraine, regional issues including Palestine and Lebanon, sanctions removal and Iran’s nuclear program. 

He also said that he criticized the French government for not complying with its commitments under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. 

Amir Abdollahian said on Twitter that he urged France to respect the rights of French protestors. 

He pointed out that Iran and France are on the same page regarding the continuation of talks and the need for mutual respect.

Amir Abdollahian and Colona held the meeting in Beijing on Thursday night.

The meeting took place as high-ranking delegations of the two countries were in the Chinese capital.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views over various issues pertaining to bilateral ties and topics of mutual interest at regional and international levels. Some consular issues were also discussed by the two top diplomats, according to the Iranian foreign ministry.

The French and Iranian foreign ministers put emphasis on paying mutual respect as well as continuation of bilateral talks.