Iran, Russia Discuss Regional, International Issues

The foreign ministers of Iran and Russia weighed plans to strengthen coordination between the two countries on regional and international issues.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov talked about the “pressing issues of bilateral cooperation in follow-up to the agreements of the talks between the two top diplomats in Moscow on August 31, 2022,” Russia’s TASS news agency quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying in a statement on Saturday.

“The ministers synchronized their schedules of future high-level and summit meeting(s),” it added.

In a joint press conference in Moscow on Wednesday following their delegation-level talks, Amirabdollahian and Lavrov discussed a variety of issues, including the ongoing efforts to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the issue of Ukraine, Press TV reported.

Amirabdollahian said Tehran needs “stronger text and stronger guarantees” to wrap up negotiations underway since April last year to revive the deal and to remove crippling sanctions on Iran.

Iran is serious about the conclusion of a lasting agreement, he said, adding that a deal would not be out of reach if the US acts “realistically” and the present text is reinforced.