Iran, Russia hold consultations on nuclear talks

Iran and Russia have held consultations on the upcoming talks between Tehran and the P5+1 group on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program.

On Wednesday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi sat down with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov in Moscow to discuss next week’s negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the six world powers – the United States, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany.

The next round of high-level talks between Iran and the Sextet is slated to be held in Vienna on March 17.

Following the meeting, the senior Iranian nuclear negotiator said that consultations and talks with Russia and China on Iran’s nuclear energy program have always been on the agenda and will continue.

Araqchi headed for the Chinese capital of Beijing after his day-long intense talks with Ryabkov in Moscow.

“Prior to the upcoming negotiations in Vienna, the necessity of closer discussions with our friends in Moscow and Beijing was felt, and these trips were arranged,” Araqchi said.

Referring to his five-hour talk with the Russian diplomat, Araqchi added that as nuclear talks are gradually gaining momentum, they require more serious consultations.

Among the issues discussed in the meeting were the amount and purity level of Iran’s uranium enrichment, allaying the alleged concerns of certain parties over the Arak heavy-water reactor in central Iran and peaceful nuclear cooperation, said Araqchi.

Iran and the six world powers clinched an interim nuclear deal in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 24, 2013. The deal took effect on January 20. The talks are now continuing for a final comprehensive deal.