Ceccaroli said that he plans to return to Iran in the coming months and enjoy its special attractions.

A collection of 20 black-and-white photographs featuring mountain landscapes was on view at the exhibition titled ‘Entre errance et eternite’ (‘Between Wandering and Eternity’).

The exhibition ran until November 30.

IRNA conducted an interview with Ceccaroli to get his opinion about Iran and Iranian culture.

Alain Ceccaroli was born in 1945 in Morocco. He lives in France. After holding several jobs, he decided in 1981 to become a professional author photographer. Though he was self-taught, his meeting in 1982 with Claudine and Jean-Pierre Sudre was decisive. He devotes himself to his three passions: Architecture, landscape and the Mediterranean. His photographic career took off and multiple commissions and photographic projects started coming in.

He held several exhibitions in countries such as Switzerland, Belgium, Croatia, Syria and Greece.

Excerpts of the interview follow:

IRNA: How did you select the photographs for the exhibition in Tehran?

ALAIN CECCAROLI: I was invited by the French Embassy in Iran to hold an exhibition. The embassy suggested some themes for the photos and since I knew that the Iranians are highly interested in nature, I chose a collection of my photographs about mountains and trees.

I am interested in the visible and invisible traces of history on the landscape. I selected a collection of 20 works from my visit to the Swiss Alps in 1985 and 1989.

I did not want to increase the number of displayed photos without paying attention to the theme of the works.

Do you have a plan to hold another exhibition in Iran?

It is not clear yet. Right now I want to travel to Iran again and enjoy its attractions and meet its people. Iranians’ hospitality was of great significance to me and I must confess that I have not seen any people in the world more hospitable than Iranians in Isfahan.

I will recommend my friends in France to make a trip to Iran. Since there are so much propaganda against Iran, I will tell my friends about my observations in Iran and the reality.

What is your opinion about the role of diplomacy of art and cultural diplomacy in getting Iran and France closer?

I believe they play a significant role. That’s why the French Embassy in Iran invites artists and cultural figures to come to Iran and hold exhibitions and fairs. In my opinion, cultural and political diplomacy are complementary.

How do you evaluate the presence of Iranian women in cultural and social fields?

They always welcomed us with their smiles. Female artists in Iranian Artists Forum were also highly active in their fields. We did not think that Iranian women are this much omnipresent in the society.

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“Excluding a force majeure case, we will be on their side in early 2018. We are the only French bank that can do it without risking US sanctions for a possible breach of remaining embargo rules,” Nicolas Dufourcq told Le Journal du Dimanche, Reuters reported.

The deal Iran struck in 2015 with six major powers lifted many sanctions against the country in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear activities and paved the way for international business deals.

FILE PHOTO: The logo of French Public Investment Bank (BPI) is seen on the BPI headquarters at Maisons-Alfort near Paris March 16, 2015. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo

But many banks have stayed away for fear of inadvertently breaking remaining US sanctions, which could lead to huge fines.

Because the BPI has no operations abroad, notably in the United States, it is not exposed to possible fines for US sanctions breaches.

US President Donald Trump has created new uncertainties over the US stance towards the Iran nuclear agreement. Trump told reporters this week that he had made a decision on what to do about the agreement but would not say what he had decided.

Several Franco-Iranian deals were announced during Iran President Hassan Rouhani’s official visit to Paris in January last year. These included a joint venture between carmakers PSA Peugeot Citroen (PEUP.PA) and Iran Khodro as well as plans for Iran to buy Airbus (AIR.PA) aircraft to update its ageing fleet.

There were also deals in the oil, shipping, health, agriculture and water sectors.

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“Parallel talks have started with other multinationals to undertake the megaproject,” said Karim Zobeidi, the head of a special department at NIOC that oversees the performance of reservoirs, ISNA reported.

Pointing to the $7.45 billion deal between the French energy major Total and the Copenhagen-based giant that was concluded last month, Zobeidi said, “Because Total has purchased Maersk’s oil and gas business, we should follow the talks more prudently.”

According to the official, the French giant is carrying out operations on Qatar’s oil layer in the joint oilfield with Iran in the Persian Gulf that is why NIOC ought to conduct negotiations with tact so as to not lose ground to the Arab state.

A POGC official has reported on the signing of a contract with a French firm for conducting pressure drop studies in South Pars joint gas field.

Maersk has already drilled more than 300 wells and extracted more than 1 billion barrels of oil for Qatar from the Qatari section of South Pars, which is known as the North Dome. According to reports, French energy major Total S.A. took over drilling and production operations in the North Dome from Maersk last year.

Highlighting the importance of collaboration with foreign firms to develop the second and third development phases of the field’s oil layer, the official noted that the layer’s complicated geological structure necessitates qualified companies to implement enhanced oil recovery techniques from the beginning of their operation.

“Pars Oil and Gas Company, as the contractor of South Pars oil layer, has held talks with a number of international companies, yet no agreement has been signed,” Zobeidi said, adding that Schlumberger Ltd, the world’s leading oilfield services provider, was also reportedly interested in drilling the South Pars oil layer, but it failed to reach agreement with NIOC.

According to Roham Qasemi, managing director of Petroiran Development Company, cumulative crude oil output from the field’s oil layer has surpassed 2.5 million barrels over roughly six months.

Iran began to extract crude oil from South Pars in March using FPSO Cyrus, a floating production storage and offloading vessel in March. The FPSO was reportedly built in Singapore and cost $300 million.

“Maersk’s operational capacity and know-how to drill horizontal oil wells as deep as 10,000 meters are key to its success in developing the South Pars oil layer, as we are still deprived of such expertise,” Qasemi said.

Underscoring the country’s domestic capacity to develop the project’s first phase, he added that Iranian experts drilled 39,000 meters of offshore well in addition to installing a 2,500-ton platform.

Asked about employing another FPSO in the second phase, Qasemi noted that Petroiran, POGC and the Danish conglomerate are holding technical talks about the issue.

Iran aims to stabilize production from the SP layer at 25,000 barrels per day and gradually boost output to 55,000-60,000 bpd.

NIOC plans to employ enhanced oil recovery methods to boost the extraction rate in fields by 35%. South Pars oil layer is located 130 kilometers off Iran’s coast in the Persian Gulf with an estimated 7 billion barrels of oil in place, but it is hard to put an accurate estimate on the volume unless more exploratory wells are drilled.

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The first major Western energy investment since sanctions against Tehran were lifted will cost up to $5 billion, with production expected to start within 40 months, an Oil Ministry source said, Reuters reported.

The US and other world powers lifted sanctions after the country pledged to roll back its nuclear program.

With the 20-year deal, Total is now returning to Iran, where it first began operating in the 1990s. Total CEO Patrick Pouyanné said in a statement on Monday that the investment would be “in strict compliance with applicable national and international laws”.

The US still has restrictions in place that block most American companies from investing in Iran. And some Western companies have been reluctant to jump in since Iran still faces sanctions that prevent firms from transacting with Iran in US dollars.

Total estimates the first phase of the project will cost around $2 billion. It is taking a 50.1 percent stake in the South Pars project. CNPC will own 30 percent while the other 19.9 percent will go to Petropars.

The project will have a production capacity of two billion cubic feet per day, or 400,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day including condensate, according to Total.

Iran’s Oil Ministry predicts the project will eventually produce gas products worth $54 billion based on current prices. The gas will start flowing into the Iranian market in 2021.

Iran has significantly ramped up its energy production since the sanctions were relaxed.

Figures from OPEC show Iran has boosted its daily crude oil production by more than 33 percent since 2015.

Iran sits on nine percent of the world’s proven oil reserves and 18 percent of the planet’s natural gas, according to data from BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy.

Iran and Qatar share the South Pars field.

Iran has signed a flurry of deals with Western companies over the past year since the easing of international sanctions on Tehran after an accord was reached over its nuclear program.

Iran needs foreign investment to repair and upgrade its oil and gas fields. It also seeks the transfer of technology to its oil industry after a decade of sanctions.

Iran has named 34 companies from over a dozen countries as being eligible to bid for oil and gas projects using the new, less restrictive contract model.

The firms include Shell, France’s Total, Italy’s Eni, Malaysia’s Petronas and Russia’s Gazprom and Lukoil, as well as companies from China, Austria, Japan and other countries.

Russia’s Zarubezhneft signed an MoU to conduct feasibility studies on two joint fields in the west of the country.

Norway‘s International Aker Solutions Company signed an MoU to modernize Iran’s oil industry.

In May 2016, Austria’s OMV signed an MoU for projects in the Zagros area in western Iran and the Fars field in the south.

South Korean Daewoo Engineering and Construction (Daewoo E&C) signed an MoU to construct an oil refinery in Bandar Jask, on the southern coast of Iran.

Italy’s Saipem signed MoUs to cooperate on pipeline projects, upgrading of refineries and development of Tous gas field in the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi.

Norwegian oil and gas company DNO said it was the second Western energy company after Total to sign a deal with Iran under which it agreed to study the development of the Changuleh oilfield in western Iran.

Lukoil, Russia’s second biggest oil producer, hopes to reach a decision on developing two new oilfields in Iran.

Germany’s Siemens AG signed an MoU in May to overhaul equipment and facilities at Iran’s oil operations and refineries.

BASF’s Wintershall oil and gas exploration subsidiary signed an MoU with the National Iranian Oil Company in April 2016.

President Rouhani:
Developing South Pars Phase 11 not only an economic contract, but also a scientific, technological, management cooperation

President Rouhani met with the Chairman and CEO of France’s Total company and described South Pars region as an important centre for developing international cooperation with Iran in the field of energy-technology.

In the meeting that was held on Monday in Tehran, Dr Rouhani told Total’s Patrick Pouyanné: “Due to the good potentials and hard-working young men in Iran, the contract of developing Phase 11 of South Pars is not only an economic one, but also a scientific, technological and management cooperation”.

Total CEO: We seek a long-term cooperation with Iran

“The Islamic Republic of Iran and France have always had good relations and cooperation with each other,” he continued saying.

Referring to France’s position in economy and energy technology, he added: “The signing and execution of this contract will be a significant step in development of economic and technological cooperation between the two countries”.

Stating that the 11th administration has attempted to finalise the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to clear the path for economic cooperation between major companies and Iran, the President said: “Fortunately, this political will from the Iranian side and among P5+1 countries paved the way for this agreements with Total”.

President also referred to his Europe and France visit after the signing of JCPOA, adding: “In Paris, there was a good political will among the authorities of both countries to develop cooperation and important agreements were signed between the two countries to deepen ties and cooperation”.

“It is our policy to cooperate with major companies such as Total,” said Dr Rouhani, adding: “Currently, projects in gas and oil worth roughly $200bn are ready to be invested on and major foreign companies can cooperate in these projects”.

“We must work hard to achieve peace and stability in the region serving economic progress and development of the region, because scientific and developmental cooperation can help us combat ignorance and poverty as the bedrocks of terrorism expansion,” he continued.

The President also expressed hope that with the new agreements and cooperation in the field of gas, oil and petrochemicals, Iran and France take considerable steps in developing ties.

During the meeting, the Chairman and CEO of France’s Total company Patrick Pouyanné also expressed happiness over meeting the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and described the contract as a very important one, saying: “Today, we are very happy that we could finalise and execute the contract with the help of the authorities of the two countries”.

Stating that the JCPOA agreement has paved the way for further development of relations between European countries and Iran, he said: “We are optimistic about our cooperation with Iranian companies”.

“We seek a long-term cooperation with Iran,” continued Pouyanné.

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In the meeting, Iran’s Roads and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi and his French counterpart Elisabeth Borne studied the establishment of a working group to examine the expansion of cooperation in the transportation sector, IRNA reported.

The Iranian minister also discussed avenues to broaden cooperation and facilitate the implementation of contracts signed earlier particularly the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

They also examined grounds such as expansion of railroads, investment to finalize infrastructure projects in Iran, subway, monorail, airports and purchase of goods and equipment to renovate the country’s transportation fleet.

It is incumbent for European governments to take joint steps for further international coordination to implement the JCPOA, Akhoundi said.

He also called for the lifting of previous restrictions to win the trust of European companies in cooperating with Iran.

French transportation minister, for her part said that Paris is ready to speed up the enforcement of earlier agreements and also broaden cooperation for developing Iran’s road and urban sectors in Iran.

Akhoundi arrived in Paris on Friday at the head of a delegation to visit an aviation exhibition.

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After signing the deal in Vienna, it was very important to France that the JCPOA as an international deal be respected, Ayrault said at the Iran-France joint economic commission underway in Tehran.

After the deal signed between Iran and the major world powers, France did immediately resume all-out ties with Iran, said the visiting foreign minister.

Bilateral ties, particularly the economic relations, will be of benefit to the both, Ayrault noted.

French foreign minister heading a 60-member delegation arrived in the Iranian capital on Monday evening.

During his two-day stay here, Ayrault is to meet with President Hassan Rouhani, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.

According to reports, the volume of exchanges between Iran and France has been 1.5 billion euros in the past ten months, but the figure is planned to triple.

Paris opposed to JCPOA talks’ resumption
Visiting French Foreign Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, said on Tuesday that Paris is opposed to any initiative being against the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and in case of resumption of talks, Paris will not absolutely accept it.
French foreign minister made the remarks in a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad-Javad Zarif, in Tehran on Tuesday.

The US President, Donald Trump, raised a number of concerning issues during and after his presidential campaign but ‘we have to wait to see what will happen in the future and remain cautious,’ French foreign minister said.

He explicitly declared that the US stands should be crystal clear and their unilateral stands under the pretext to fight against terrorism through putting ban on visa issuance is source of concern and very untimely, French foreign minister said.

He added that rational wisdom rules for Americans’ backdown.

“We are concerned about the security of our citizens and mind to control borders but the deeds of those countries doing so should not run counter to international commitments regarding refugees and avoiding discriminations among citizens,” he said.

What happened was blatant discrimination against all countries and ‘we would like to see principles are respected and any measure taken with respect, while being free from any vain tension.’

“We are not alone and many countries approve our path, he said, adding that France has entered talks with the European Union as they have common goals.”

“Prospects of cooperation with French banks should be positive and we should expect more advancement in the sector,” he said.

Since some of the big banks have been punished by the US government in the past, they are more cautious, he said.

“I would like to once again express condolences to Iranian government and nation for disastrous incident claiming lives of some 20 people,” he said.

The JCPOA was a historical achievement for Iran and human society and proves that diplomatic means can work and should not be ignored, he said.

France hopes the JCPOA will be continued to be implemented and solutions can be found to the problems which might put it at risk, he said.

Iran and France are to broaden cooperation in connection with the regional and international developments, said French foreign minister.

‘No one is safe from terrorism and it is among our duties to fight with all these threats and find answers to the raised questions,’ he said.

The region is in dire need of peace, stability, development and welfare and it is time for big countries in the region to find a new formula for Syria, Yemen and Iraq, he said.
There is no military solution for the crises but a peaceful solution provides the room for the countries in the region to maintain their sovereignty and territorial integrity with full respect, said the French minister.

French foreign minister, heading a politico-economic delegation, arrived in Tehran on Monday evening to confer with the country’s officials on issues of mutual interest and regional and global developments.

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Ayrault is slated to visit his Iranian counterpart Zarif, President Hassan Rouhani, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and other high-ranking officials during his two-day visit.

“Foreign ministers of Iran and France will convene a joint economic and trade commission’s meeting on Tuesday,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ghasemi has said earlier.

Ayrault is accompanied by representatives from 60 French companies, directors of Middles East and African affairs at Foreign Ministry, managers of entrepreneurship and international economic institutions, officials in charge of Iranian affairs at Foreign Ministry, heads of Department of Treasury Office, and a number of governmental officials and media persons.

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The deal struck in 2015 with three European countries, Russia, China and the United States gave Iran relief from a range of sanctions, allowing it to strike major business deals with Europe for the first time in years, Reuters reported.

After taking one of the hardest lines in the negotiations, France has been quick to restore trade ties. Plane maker Airbus, oil major Total and automobile manufacturers Peugeot and Renault have all signed deals.

Some 50 French firms will take part in a Franco-Iranian economic forum on Tuesday at which more will be signed.

“Jean-Marc Ayrault is going to underline the importance that all sides which backed the deal strictly respect their commitments,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal told a daily briefing.

Trump has called the deal, which imposes limits on Iran’s nuclear activities, “the worst deal ever negotiated” threatening to annul it or seek a better agreement.

However, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif recently said Washington cannot unilaterally decide to abrogate the agreement as it is an “international agreement,” and not a bilateral one between Iran and the US.

Earlier this month and on the anniversary of the deal’s implementation, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said if Trump went ahead with acting on the threat, Iran would burn the agreement.

The EU says it is in full agreement with China and Russia over the need to keep the nuclear deal alive.

Despite the sanction relief, including on banking restrictions, Iran continues to struggle to access Western finance, partly due to banks’ fears about penalties related to remaining US sanctions.

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The deal took weeks of shuttling between Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France, and Tehran, complicated by a shortage of expert legal advice as Iran completes its biggest commercial deals with the West since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Airbus in a statement said almost half the jets would be for short to medium routes and that deliveries would start early next year.

The contract includes 46 of the narrow-body A320 family which includes the A321 model, 38 long-haul A330s and 16 of Europe’s newest long-range model, the A350.

The order follows a commitment inked in January when President Hassan Rouhani visited Paris in the wake of a deal between Iran and six world powers over its nuclear program.

Planemaking chief Fabrice Bregier called the deal “a significant first step” in modernizing Iranian aviation, adding it included training, airport operations and air traffic management.

However, both sides confirmed the Airbus A380, the largest passenger plane in the world, had been jettisoned from a provisional list first agreed in January.

Although up to 12 were earmarked in the initial agreement, Tehran’s international airport is not currently equipped for such planes.

US regulatory delays further reduced the order by six planes, lowering the total order to 100 from 118 jets.

Iran Air,1956

Iran’s civil aviation

Iran Air’s CEO Farhad Parvaresh said the deal was “an important step toward a stronger international presence in civil aviation”.

He added: “We hope this success signals to the world that the commercial goals of Iran and its counterparts are better achieved with international cooperation and collaboration.”

Parvaresh stressed that the deal has paved the way “for more practical steps to follow for Iran Air’s fleet renewal”.

Such a deal would be worth $18-20 billion at list prices, depending on variants flown, but Iran is expected to receive steep discounts from foreign manufacturers as its aviation renewal coincides with a drop in demand elsewhere.

It is expected to be followed by a formal deal to buy turboprop aircraft from ATR, half-owned by Airbus.

The first jet, an Airbus A321 already painted in Iran’s national carrier livery, may arrive in January.

“When Airbus and ATR aircraft start going into Iran, Boeing will point to that to argue that it should implement its own deal,” said an aviation source, who closely followed the talks.

In another deal earlier this month, Iran Air finalized a contract to buy 80 planes from Airbus’ US competitor Boeing.

Boeing said that contract – Iran’s first deal with a US aviation firm since 1979 – was worth $16.6 billion.

Despite rivalries, the Airbus and Boeing deals with Iran are unusually intertwined because each depends on continued US clearances for the sale of planes built with US parts.

“Everyone has an interest in moving quickly. The Iranian government wants to show results from the nuclear deal; Airbus wants to get deliveries moving and Boeing wants the leverage it can get from European deliveries to Iran,” another source said.

Airbus said the deal was subject to US Treasury export licenses granted in September and November 2016.

Republican critics of the nuclear pact want Trump to block the aircraft deals and have sought to hamper them by voting to tighten restrictions on use of the US financial system.

Airbus is expected to be paid in euros instead of the usual dollars and is likely to provide its own financing for the first few jets./Iran-daily

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Following the inking of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) for conducting developmental studies in Azadegan oil field with France’s Total, Britain’s Royal Dutch Shell and Inpex Corporation of Japan, a cooperation agreement will be also inked in the current week between the largest Malaysian oil firm PETRONAS and the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) to carry out similar studies in Iran’s joint oil field with Iraq.

Moreover, NIOC will also sign into another deal with the Malaysian side in order to perform studies for boosting recovery factor in Cheshmeh Khosh field.

In recent months, NIOC has sealed several MoUs with Austria’s OMV and Gazprom of Russia aiming to increase recovery factor of Cheshmeh Khosh in the west of Iran.

The accord between NIOC and PETRONAS is scheduled to be signed on Wednesday in Tehran between officials of the two oil companies.

On the sidelines of his meeting with Minister of Foreign Trade and Industry of Malaysia Dato’ Seri Mustafa Muhammad, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said Iran welcomes arrival of Malaysian firms, Petronas in particular, since they hold a long history of relations with the country’s oil industry.

Prior to sanction years, the bulk of cooperation between National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and Malaysia pertained to sales and exports of crude oil as Iran was deploying a daily average of 50 to 60 thousand barrels of crude oil to Malaysia’s PETRONAS under spot contracts, he continued.

One of NIOC’s most significant deals with Petronas was over the developmental project of South Pars Phase 11 which was supposed to be accomplished in collaboration with France’s Total and Repsol S.A. of Spain though the agreement was violated as a result of international sanctions against Iran.

Despite having had only a few years of activity in the oil and gas industry, PETRONAS remains among rare oil and gas companies who enjoy functionality and operational teams in both upstream and downstream oil sectors.

The Malaysian oil and gas company is currently active in numerous fields including oil and gas refining, construction of pipelines, LNG transfer, gasoline stations management, manufacturing and marketing of petrochemicals and chemicals, exploration, exploitation, drilling, production and storage of crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas.

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