Russian FM in Tehran for nuclear, Syria talks

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has arrived in Tehran to discuss a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers as well as the planned Geneva peace conference aimed at ending crisis in Syria.
The visit comes after Tehran signed an interim 6-month agreement over its nuclear program in late November.
Moscow said it had faith in Iran’s commitment to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The Russian Foreign Ministry has underscored on several occasions that the Iranian accord will undoubtedly improve the situation in the Middle East and help the international community overcome the “dangerous bias towards forceful methods” that has come into force over the last years.
During his two-day visit to Iran, Lavrov is expected to discuss the outlooks for a Syria peace conference with the country’s senior authorities. Kremlin has long been seeking to put Iran, as a country of influence in the region, at the negotiating table in Geneva.
Up for discussion will also be a bunch of important bilateral topics, including cooperation in such sectors as trade, economy and military technologies, as well as Afghan drug trafficking and the upcoming Caspian summit that Russia is going to host in autumn 2014.
Lavrov will hold talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in meetings scheduled Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham told reporters Tuesday that the visit was in line with the close cooperation between Tehran and Moscow and that it would include “bilateral, regional and international issues.”