Iranian president and British foreign secretary Hammond stressed on Mon. the need for promoting political relations and developing cooperation based on mutual trust and resolving difficult history.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made the remarks here on Monday in a meeting with British foreign secretary Philip Hammond, adding "in current situation, both countries' officials have a greater responsibility to rebuild bilateral relations based on mutual trust."

Noting that Iranian people remember and are wary of the foreign interference in their country's affairs, the president added, "while one cannot quickly change a nation's deep legacy of distrust in a short span of time, we are of the opinion that we should not linger in the past mistakes and should rather plan our moves with a look toward the future."

"Iran and Britain must think about mutual interests of both nations as well as the region and expand their trade relations into bilateral and fruitful economic ties based on the available resources in both countries," said Rouhani. [...]

Philip Hammond, for his part, expressed his gratitude toward Iran's warm hospitality, saying "the two countries' relations have steadily improved and the recent nuclear agreement will allow more forward steps to deepen the relations."

Noting that Iran and the 5+1 nuclear deal can rebuild the cultural and historical relations between Iranian and British people, Hammond added "the reopening of embassies in Tehran and London was an important symbolic step that has led to effective and trust-building dialogues between the two countries, providing an opportunity for a better understanding of each other's positions."