Iranian, Russian FMs discuss regional issues

National Desk

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday discussed a range of issues including developments in region, the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, Syrian crisis and Iran nuclear deal.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, both diplomats in a phone conversation talked about the current situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the need for providing the war-affected residents of the area with humanitarian aid, IRNA reported.

Fierce clashes between Azerbaijan's forces and Armenian separatists broke out in late September in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The fighting lasted six weeks, leaving thousands dead and displacing many more, according to AFP.

The ex-Soviet republicans agreed to end hostilities on November 10 within the framework of a accord brokered by Moscow that includes deployment of Russian peacekeepers and the cession by Armenia of swathes of territory.

Zarif and Lavrov also discussed other key issues including the situation in Syria, the Persian Gulf region, Yemen’s crisis as well as developments in Afghanistan.

They also underlined the two countries’ continued cooperation in the international arena on other issues, including the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement.

They discussed Moscow and Tehran’s commitment to ensuring the prompt return of all participants to fully observing obligations laid out in the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and United Nations Resolution 2231, which endorses the accord.

Following the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear agreement in 2018 and reimposition of illegal sanctions against Iran, Tehran and Moscow increased their political, defense and economic cooperation – a move that infuriated Washington which planned to isolate Iran through imposing sanctions.   

Source: Iran Daily