News that there could soon be direct flights between Lisbon and Tehran was revealed on Sunday by the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs during a visit to the Persian country.
According to Rui Machete, an agreement could soon be confirmed and will serve as a huge boost for bilateral relations and trade between Portugal and the state.
During his visit, the first by a Portuguese Government official since the instauration of the Islamic republic, Portugal’s foreign minister said that he noticed “an enormous desire for change” in Iran.
“In the contacts I have made, it is clear to see there, an enormous desire for reform and a hope that this is possible and that Iran’s isolation can end”, Rui Machete told reporters who were accompanying an official visit to the bridge over the River Zayandeh Rood, that serves the city of Isfahan, in central Iran, on Sunday.
“Whether this happens or nor depends on various factors”, he acknowledged, admitting that “it is difficult to have an exact forecast”.
Rui Machete recalled that Iran asked for “help” from all the European Union (EU) foreign ministers to resolve the nuclear question.
At the same time, Iran “has begun, in a certain way, to play a crucial role in the fight against the self-named Islamic State, a matter that is on the European and Portuguese radar, the minister said.
Meanwhile, down in the Algarve, news surfaced that the region could soon have a boat crossing between Faro and Tangier in northern Morocco.
According to reports, in coming weeks, Faro Council is to hold a series of meetings with its Moroccan counterparts, representatives of the respective ports and with the crossing’s Moroccan vessel operator.
Mayor Rogério Bacalhau was also reported as saying the proposal had been received with great interest by all parties involved.