TEHRAN, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- The European Parliament confirmed Friday a five-member delegation arrived in Iran to work to re-establish bilateral ties with Iranian legislators.
Finnish lawmaker Tarja Cronberg led the delegation of five members of the European Parliament to Tehran.
The European Parliament said in a statement the delegation would work to re-establish ties to the Iranian Parliament, raise human rights issues and meet with film director Jafar Panahi and Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, winners of the 2012 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency said the European officials were in Tehran at the invitation of the Iranian government. They're scheduled to meet Iranian parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the parliamentary committee on national security, and other leaders during their six-day visit.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani pledged to establish better ties with the international community when he was sworn into office in August.
Iran's semiofficial Fars News Agency reported Friday non-resident charge d'affaires to the British government Mohammad Hassan Habibollahzadeh arrived in London to meet his British counterpart, Ajay Sharma.
The British government in November said it appointed Sharma so it could have a more open relationship with Tehran.
Bilateral ties were disrupted following a November 2011 attack on the British Embassy in Tehran.
