To spare the leader of the Islamic Republic possible offence, the Italians even covered nude Roman statues in the Capitoline Museums where Rouhani met and spoke with Renzi on Monday evening.
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Iran President Hassan Rouhani (L) exchanges gifts with Pope Francis at the Vatican January 26, 2016. On the other hand, Pope Francis gave to president Rouhani a medal that portraits St. Martin, and a copy of his encyclical Laudato Si, where he encourages people to take “unified global action” against global warming, and consumerism. It was also the first time an Iranian president has travelled to Europe in 16 years.
As he left, Rouhani borrowed from the pope one of his signature remarks, asking him, “Please pray for me”.
The trip to the Italian capital is part of a push by Iran for a more active role on the world stage following the landmark nuclear deal with the West, which is in the early stages of implementation.
Pope Francis met the President of Iran at the Vatican today urging the Middle Eastern leader to find peaceful solutions for the Middle East and work with him to combat terrorism.
Maginnis says that’s a longshot at best, since Iran continually calls for the destruction of Israel.
Rouhani and his aides are on a five-day tour of Europe, seeking to boost economic ties after global sanctions were lifted against the country following Iran’s agreement to limit its nuclear program past year.
The decision was also made not to serve alcohol at dinners with the visiting president, although this is a more standard diplomatic procedure for visiting officials from Islamic countries.
The Vatican described the closed-door discussions between Francis and Iran’s President as “cordial” and said “common spiritual values emerged” during their meeting. After thanking President Rouhani, Pope Francis said, “I hope for peace”.
“Italy has always backed the role of Iran as a regional player in resolving tensions in the area, starting with the Syrian crisis”, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said after meeting his Iranian counterpart, according to his office.
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Rouhani’s European trip will also include a visit to France and a batch of commercial deals, now that Iran has access to tens of billions of dollars that were frozen under the sanctions.
