News / Politics

Iran FM meets Russian counterpart, Afghan president in Tashkent

Friday, 24 June 2016 2:47 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 24 June 2016 3:03 PM ]

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (3rd L) speaks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, June 24, 2016. ©ISNA

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has met his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Zarif and Lavrov met in the Uzbek capital city of Tashkent on Friday and discussed several topics, particularly the bilateral ties and the latest developments in the region.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia and Pacific Affairs Ebrahim Rahimpour said the Syrian conflict was among the subjects discussed in the talks between the two foreign ministers.

The top Iranian diplomat also held a meeting with the Afghan president, during which the two sides discussed bilateral and multilateral relations, regional issues as well as the expansion of cooperation between the two countries.

Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) states and observer members pose for a group photo at the SCO summit in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, June 24, 2016. ©AP

The SCO was founded in 2001 and has six full members, namely Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Mongolia have observer status.

Zarif arrived in Tashkent early Friday to attend the SCO summit after his latest European tour to France and the Netherlands.

Zarif has traveled to a number of European countries over the past few months with the purpose of discussing ways to expand relations after the implementation of the historic nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), on January 16.

Under the deal, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the US would be lifted. Iran has, in return, put some limitations on its nuclear activities.

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