Iran, Russia Discuss Regional Issues, Promotion Of Ties

The foreign ministers of Iran and Russia announced at a joint press conference that they have talked about the enhancement of Tehran-Moscow relations, preparations for a presidential meeting, and the regional developments as in Afghanistan and the Caucasus.

Speaking at a press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, held in Moscow on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said they have agreed to prepare the ground for a meeting between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

He said the agreements between the two countries reveal that their relations are strategic and perfect. “We consider Russia as a strategic partner of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Amirabdollahian also unveiled plans to sign the strategic document of bilateral relations in the near future, stressing the need to remove the obstacles to the expansion of ties with Russia.

“Russia has a prior position in Iran’s foreign policy arena,” he noted, unveiling plans for the foreign ministerial meeting of neighbors of Afghanistan and Russia in the near future.

On the developments in the South Caucasus region, Amirabdollahian said Iran has some concerns and believes that the region has no capacity for new unrest.

“Under no circumstances will we accept a change in the geopolitical map of the Caucasus region, nor do we tolerate the activities of the Zionist regime and the terrorists,” the Iranian foreign minister stated.

Pointing to the Vienna negotiations for the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Amirabdollahian said the Iranian administration is finalizing the process of assessment of the nuclear talks and will soon resume the Vienna negotiations.

He once again called on the JCPOA parties to make serious decisions and prove their push for the fruitfulness of the talks and honoring their commitments as a positive signal before Iran’s return to the negotiating table.

For his part, Lavrov hailed the close relations between Russia and Iran, saying the 2015 nuclear deal is one of the key issues about which Moscow talks with Iran and the other JCPOA parties constantly.

If the US intends to rejoin the JCPOA, Washington and the other sides will need to bear in mind that the agreement must be carried out completely in full conformity with the commitments stipulated in the deal, the top Russian diplomat stated.

He also noted that Moscow and Tehran share views and work in cooperation on a broad range of regional and international issues, including what goes on in Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, and the Caucasus.

He said Russia and Iran urge the new government in Afghanistan to launch a decisive fight against terrorism, saying Moscow and Tehran are going to coordinate efforts for the settlement of issues in Afghanistan.

Lavrov further noted that he and Amirabdollahian have discussed an initiative for negotiations within a “3+3” format, including the representatives of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey, in order to resume economic interaction and reopen the transportation routes in the South Caucasus region.

Lavrov also expressed hope that the Iranian Parliament would soon ratify the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea.

Russia has repeatedly emphasized the need to ensure the entry into force of the convention on the legal status of the Caspian as soon as possible, which directly prohibits the presence of any non-Caspian military forces in the sea, he added.