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JCPOA instrumental in promoting global peace, stability: UN chief

Saturday, 18 February 2017 6:09 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 18 February 2017 6:09 PM ]

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres (1st L) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (2nd L) meet on the fringes of the Munich Security Conference on February 18, 2017.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has hailed the 2015 landmark nuclear agreement signed between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, saying it plays an important role in promoting international peace and stability.

The UN chief made the remarks during a Saturday meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the fringes of the Munich Security Conference.

Guterres also threw his weight behind the implementation of the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China -- plus Germany signed the JCPOA on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

Under the nuclear agreement, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

Guterres also welcomed an invitation extended to him by the Iranian foreign minister to visit Iran and said he would travel to the Islamic Republic at the earliest possible time.

The top Iranian diplomat and the UN chief also discussed several regional and international issues, including the plight of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and the latest developments in Yemen, Syria and Iraq.

Zarif, for his part, said the UN must play a more active role in resolving the ongoing crises in the region and expressed the Islamic Republic’s readiness to cooperate with the world body in this regard.

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