ROME: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani wraps up his visit to Italy Wednesday before heading to France on the second leg of a trip signalling the dramatic rapprochement between Tehran and the European powers since the lifting of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Rouhani's visit to Paris is expected to result in the signing of important business contracts, after sealing multi-billion dollar deals in Italy.
A major order for 114 Airbus planes to modernise Iran Air's ageing fleet is expected to be confirmed in France, along with tie-ups with carmakers Peugeot and Renault.
Before heading to Paris, Rouhani will conclude his two-day trip to Rome with a visit to the Colosseum with Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini.
The president is accompanied by a delegation of more than 100 ministers, officials and businessmen marking the return of Iran on the international economic stage with the lifting of sanctions after a historic deal over Tehran's nuclear programme.
Rouhani, a 67-year-old former academic and diplomat who is seen as a pragmatist, was elected in 2013 on a pledge to end sanctions and improve relations with the West.
The Iranian leader on Monday met with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, with whom he attended the signing of several economic agreements in the prestigious setting of the Capitole.
Italian officials said contracts signed in Rome would be worth up to 17 billion euros ($18.4 billion), underlining the huge economic stakes involved in Iran's re-opening, particularly for Europe's manufacturing and engineering sectors.
On Monday, Rouhani attended a business forum at which he portrayed Iran as the ideal base for companies seeking a foothold in a region of 300 million people, reassuring would-be investors their contracts would be honoured.
"Iran is the safest, the most stable country in the entire region," Rouhani said.
"Everyone understood that the nuclear negotiations represented a win-win situation for both sides.
"Now we have created the conditions for investment and for the transfer of know-how. There has to be an advantage for both sides: we invite you to invest and we will provide stability and ensure that you can make adequate returns."
Rouhani then visited the Vatican for the first time and met Pope Francis, who has urged Iran to work for peace in the Middle East.
In a statement afterwards, the Vatican said Francis had urged the Iranian leader to use Iran's important role to promote, together with other countries, "adequate political solutions" to the problems afflicting the region and to help combat terrorism and arms trafficking.
It was the first official visit to the Vatican by an Iranian president since Mohammad Khatami was hosted by John Paul II in 1999.
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