In phone call, Iran, Russia FMs agree to maintain close coordination on regional, international issues: Russia Foreign Ministry

The foreign ministers of Iran and Russia have discussed the schedule of future high-level and summit meetings, agreeing to maintain close coordination on regional and international issues, Russia's Foreign Ministry says.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov touched upon "pressing issues of bilateral cooperation in follow-up to the agreements of the talks between the foreign ministers in Moscow on August 31, 2022," Russia's Tass news agency quoted the 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, Amir-Abdollahian and Lavrov discussed a variety of issues, including the ongoing efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the issue of Ukraine.

Amir-Abdollahian 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.

Iran wants 'stronger guarantees' from US to revive nuclear deal: FM

Iran says it is reviewing the US response to the European Union draft proposal aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal but stresses the importance of "stronger guarantees" from the American side to clinch the deal

"Our purpose is the conclusion of a good, strong, and lasting agreement," Amir-Abdollahian stressed, urging the opposite side to show realism and pragmatism. 

The Iranian foreign minister also said he conveyed a message on behalf of "one of the European leaders" for Russia concerning the issue of Ukraine.

"Some ideas have been put forward towards the conclusion of the Ukraine war. We talked [with the Russian foreign minister] about humanitarian issues too," he said.

Russia began a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24. In line with what Russian President Vladimir Putin has specified, the operation is aimed at “demilitarization” of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics in eastern Ukraine, which are collectively known as the Donbas region.

The two republics broke away from Ukraine in 2014 after refusing to recognize a Western-backed Ukrainian government that had overthrown a democratically-elected Russia-friendly administration.

Iran has often expressed its readiness to act as an honest broker in any talks aimed at bringing an end to the conflict.

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