BRUSSELS/TEHRAN -- Belgian lawmakers gave initial clearance on Wednesday to a prisoner exchange treaty with Iran that could lead to the release of an Iranian diplomat.
The foreign relations committee of Belgium’s lower house debated the treaty for more than six hours over two days before finally approving it.
The measure still needs to be put before the full 150-member lower house of parliament, most likely in the next two weeks, but the chamber normally follows votes of its committees, given they have similar party compositions.
The prisoner exchange might secure the release of a Belgian aid worker who was detained in Iran in February on security charges.
Iran has called for the release of Assadollah Assadi, sentenced to 20 years in prison in Belgium in 2021.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian called for the release of an Iranian citizen held in Sweden on completely baseless allegations.
In a phone call with his Swedish counterpart Ann Linde, he urged Stockholm to immediately release Hamid Nouri who was jailed when he traveled there in 2019.
Nouri was arrested upon arrival at the Stockholm airport in November that year and was immediately imprisoned. He has been held in solitary confinement for over two years.
“My husband traveled to Sweden with an invitation and as he was disembarking from the plane, he was brutally detained and insulted by several police officers in front of a crowd of Iranians and others and taken into custody,” his wife has said.
The charges against Nouri stem from accusations leveled against him by members of Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group.
The Swedish official pleged that the Swedish government and judicial system would not be influenced by the terrorist group’s propaganda.
Swedish prosecutors have requested the maximum penalty of life imprisonment for Nouri.
Amir-Abdollahian said Iran and Sweden should endeavor towards clearing out the issues that have created obstacles in the way of development of their bilateral ties.
“The countries’ relations should not come under the influence of propaganda and baseless and unfounded allegations that have been created by a terrorist group, whose record of atrocities against the Iranian nation is clear to all,” he said.
He added that both countries should work to expand their relations in the commercial and economic spheres.
Linde called the countries’ relations historic, saying, “Sweden attaches high value to its relations with the Islamic Republic.”
“We believe that Iran has a notable role in regional peace and stability.”