SHAFAQNA- Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that if USA responds to the few remaining but critical issues and doesn’t waste time, returning to Vienna to wrap up negotiations is possible. He made the remarks in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday (15 Mar 2022). The two sides discussed bilateral relations, as well as regional and international issues.
Stressing the importance of implementing the agreements made during the visit of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Moscow, Amirabdollahian pointed to Tehran’s determination to develop all-out relations with the neighboring states, including Russia, and considered it one of the main and prioritized pivots in the foreign policy of Iran’s government.
He added that Iran will continue the process of developing relations with neighbors and Russia without affecting any third-party factors or international developments, regardless of the outcome of the negotiations in Vienna.
Reviewing the latest situation in Vienna, Amirabdollahian described Russia’s approach as constructive over the past 11 months and highlighted that this approach will continue until a good and reliable agreement is reached in Vienna!
Stating the fundamental principle that it is the Iran’s definitive interests that determine the direction of Iran’s foreign ministry and the negotiating team in Vienna, he stressed that the ball is in the US court, and if Washington responds to the few remaining but important cases and doesn’t waste time, they can return to Vienna as soon as possible to wrap up the negotiations.
Referring to his telephone conversation with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister on the eve of his visit to Moscow, Amirabdollahian passed the Ukrainian Foreign Minister’s message calling for halting the war and resolving the issues through negotiations on to Lavrov and expressed Tehran’s readiness to help resolve the Russia-Ukraine dispute peacefully and voiced the Islamic Republic of Iran’s support for negotiations and political settlement.
Stressing on the principled stances of the Islamic Republic of Iran in opposing the war, he underscored that Iran opposes war anywhere in the world, whether in the Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, or Yemen. Iran’s FM stressed that the Islamic Republic opposes war and does not consider war as the solution to any crisis and disputes, saying that Tehran also opposes the implementation of unilateral sanctions against Russia and considers it illegal.
Lavrov, for his part, stressed his country’s readiness to develop cooperation with Iran in all areas, especially in the economic area, citing the need to implement the agreements made at a recent meeting of the presidents of the two countries in Moscow.
Voicing Russia’s all-out support for finalizing the talks in Vienna, the Russian Foreign Minister said that Russia, contrary to the US claims, will not prevent the agreement in Vienna. Russia will maintain its constructive stance to combined efforts in this regard, he further noted.
He termed imposing the double standards by Western countries as an example of their hypocritical actions, expressing hope that western sanctions against Russia would not affect his country’s relations with Iran.
Source: IRNA