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Talks fruitful if West fixes mistakes

A senior Iranian lawmaker has urged the six Western countries slated to hold talks with the Islamic Republic later this month to make up for their past “mistakes”.

“If the Western countries (the P5+1 group) want Istanbul talks to be fruitful, they should stop threatening and imposing sanctions on the Iranian nation,” Gholamreza Karami, the chairman of Parliament’s Defense Committee, said on Tuesday.

The six world powers involved in the multifaceted talks set to begin in Turkey on January 21 must “try to make up for their mistakes rather than adding another” to the bunch, Karami told Mehr News Agency.

On the upcoming talks between Iran and the P5+1 — which is comprised of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany — the top parliamentarian said Tehran has always welcomed dialogue.

“Iran has always welcomed negotiations, and seized on every opportunity to hold talks,” he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said during the upcoming Istanbul talks between Tehran and the P5+1, the two sides would focus on finding “common ground” for further cooperation.

Iran and the P5+1 wrapped up two days of multifaceted talks in the Swiss city of Geneva on December 7, during which both sides agreed to hold the next round of negotiations in Turkey in late January.

The comprehensive talks were held between Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili and EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton, who acted as the top representative for the P5+1.

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