Athens Discuss Resumption of Oil Supplies With Tehran

Athens and Tehran on Friday launched discussions on the resumption of oil supplies to Greece, after the European Union lifted the economic sanctions imposed on Iran, the Greek Ministry of Energy said in a statement.

ATHENS (Sputnik) — According to the statement, Greek Minister of Environment and Energy Panos Skurletis and Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Hossein Amir Zamaninia discussed the strengthening of cooperation in the energy sector between Greece and Iran.

"The Iranian side confirmed its readiness to deepen relations and to develop of multifaceted cooperation, both economic and diplomatic," the statement reads.

According to the Energy Ministry, during the meeting the sides confirmed the friendly relations between the two countries. Aside from discussing the issue of resuming the oil supplies, the officials exchanged views on the industry of natural gas and renewable energy sources.

Skurletis reportedly said that Greece could serve as a “bridge” between Iran and the European Union.

Iran and six world powers — the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany — signed a nuclear deal in July 2015. It guaranteed the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Earlier in January, the United Nations, the European Union and partially the United States lifted their sanctions against the Islamic republic after the International Atomic Energy Agency verified Tehran’s compliance with its nuclear agreement.