Russia, China stress diplomatic resolution of Iran's nuclear issue

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Moscow, April 14, IRNA -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov underscored diplomatic resolution of Iran's nuclear issue at a joint media interaction after their meeting here on Friday.

'Russia is concerned about the condition of Iran's nuclear issue; Tehran is an old friend of Moscow and there is cooperation between us within the framework of Shanghai Cooperation Organization,' Lavrov added.

The Russian foreign minister noted that China, India and Russia which form the so-called RIC grroup of countries have consensus on diplomatic resolution of Iran's nuclear issue.

'Iran's nuclear issue should be solved based on UN Security Council and IAEA decisions,” he added

The foreign ministers of India, China and Russia Friday held their 11th trilateral meeting and underlined their major role in addressing key global challenges against the backdrop of dynamic shifts in the world order on Friday.

India's External Affairs Minister SM Krishna held talks with his counterparts Yang Jiechi and Lavrov on a wide range of international issues and decided to continue close political coordination.

The three ministers reviewed cooperation among their countries within the framework of other regional organizations such as BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), G-20 and the East Asia Summit Process.

'The current international environment is witnessing dynamic shifts and volatile trends, which shall eventually delineate the contours of the future global scenario,' Krishna said at the joint media interaction after the meeting.

India will host the next Russia-India-China trilateral meeting in 2013.

The trilateral meeting was formed to forge cooperation and to build trust among the three emerging economies, but its importance has waned slightly after the BRIC grouping of the four emerging economies was launched in 2009. South Africa joined the BRIC grouping in 2011, changing the nomenclature of the grouping to BRICS.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in a meeting with Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili discussed latest bilateral and international affairs.

In the meantime, Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council in Istanbul on Friday conferred with Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister, Ma Ja Osho.

Bagheri is scheduled to meet with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister in the coming hours.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said also on Friday that Moscow is optimistic about the outcome of the upcoming Iran-G5+1 talks.

Chinese news outlets quoted the visiting head of China's nuclear delegation to Istanbul Ma Ja Osho that 'Progress of Iran-G5+1 nuclear talks play an important role in the establishment of peace and security in region.'

The official asserted that China supports Iran's peaceful nuclear program.

Iranian delegation headed by Supreme National Security Council Secretary and chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, arrived in Istanbul on Friday morning.

Iran and the Group 5+1 agreed to resume talks in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 14 and a second round of talks in the Iraqi capital city, Baghdad.

The last meeting between the two sides took place in Istanbul in January 2011. Iran and the G5+1 had also held two rounds of multifaceted talks in Geneva in December 2010.

Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any compelling evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population due to the fact that the country's fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

Despite the rights enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning down West's calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment.

Tehran has dismissed the West's demands as politically tainted and illogical, stressing those sanctions and pressures merely consolidate Iranians' national resolve to continue with the civilian program.

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