Paris: The foreign ministry of France announced on Friday that the country's foreign minister had a rare face-to-face meeting with her Iranian counterpart in China and urged Teheran to free French nationals who had been "arbitrarily detained" in Iran.
Catherine Colonna met Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Beijing while she was accompanying President Emmanuel Macron on his state visit to China.
In separate reconciliation negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Beijing, Amir-Abdollohian was in charge of the Iranian delegation. The reconciliation was mediated by China last month, demonstrating Beijing's expanding influence in the Middle East.
Also Read: Six people are given life sentences in Congo for the murder of an Italian envoy
According to the French statement, Colonna "reiterated her urgent demand for the immediate release of the six French citizens who Iran is arbitrarily detaining."
The six are among an estimated 20 foreigners being held as hostages by Iran in an effort to gain concessions, according to activists and Western governments.
The meeting was confirmed by Iran's foreign ministry, which also stated that "some consular issues were also raised during the meeting." The text stopped there.
The deadly crackdown by Tehran on the protest movement that erupted in September has severely reduced communication between Iran and European powers, including regarding the Iranian nuclear programme.
The Iranian nuclear programme, regional issues, and the state of Iran were also major topics of discussion. The minister expressed France's concern regarding the Iranian government's stance on each of these issues, according to the statement.
The foreign ministers of the two nations stressed the importance of continued dialogue and respect for one another, according to the Iranian foreign ministry.
After the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurd who had been detained for allegedly breaking Iran's strict dress code for women, the protests against Iran erupted in the middle of September.
Also Read: Police from the French BRAV-M cite exhaustion in the investigation into abuse
In protest-related cases, four men have been put to death in what activists have dubbed "show trials."
Iran Human Rights (IHR), a Norwegian organisation, claims that security forces have killed at least 537 people during the crackdown on the protests.
