Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian said on the 29th (local time) that he hopes that a long-term strategic cooperation agreement between Iran and Russia will be concluded “within a month”, Iranian state-run IRNA and Tehran Times reported.
Foreign Minister Amir Abdullahian held a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, where the review of a long-term strategic cooperation agreement between the two countries was concluded in Russia. “Iran is also reviewing this,” he said, “and hopes that the final revision of the agreement will be made by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs within a month,” Press TV reported.
Foreign Minister Amir Abdullahian was accompanied by high-level economic and political officials on the visit to Russia that began the night before.
Iran and Russia signed a 10-year cooperation agreement in 2001, which was extended to 20 years with two five-year extensions.
Now, the two countries are working on a document on bilateral strategic cooperation that could determine the future of bilateral relations for the next 20 years.
Elsewhere, Foreign Minister Amir Abdullahian said relations between Tehran and Moscow were progressing in the right direction, hoping bilateral cooperation on regional and international organizations would proceed effectively.
Foreign Minister Amir Abdullahian also described the meeting with Minister Lavrov as “important and productive” in a post on his Twitter account.
Lavrov pointed out that there is no alternative to the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).
Lavrov also said that relations between Iran and Russia are progressing well in various fields, including trade, investment, economy and the implementation of major projects.
He emphasized close cooperation in international and regional issues, saying that “the bilateral relationship continues to grow within the framework of the Joint Economic Committee.”
Lavrov also urged the United States to lift sanctions on Iran and return to nuclear negotiations in 2015. There is no alternative to the nuclear agreement, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Lavrov argued.
“We talked about the situation around the JCPOA regarding Iran’s nuclear program,” Lavrov told PressTV. We have a common understanding that there is no alternative to this international agreement set out in the unanimously adopted UN Security Council Resolution 2231.”
He said the US needed to lift sanctions against Iran, while the world was waiting for the US to fulfill its obligations under the nuclear deal.
The previous day, Foreign Minister Amir Abdullahian warned the US and three European countries (Germany, France and Britain) that the window of opportunity to revive the agreement would not remain open forever.
In an interview with Al Jazeera news broadcast on the 27th, Foreign Minister Amir Abdullahian said that Iranian lawmakers are attempting to approve a plan to limit negotiations to revive the Iranian nuclear deal.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.