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Foreign ministers of Iran, Russia hold talks on phone

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Wed / 19 July 2023 / 12:47

Tehran (ISNA) - In a phone call, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on bilateral and regional ties as well as the need to respect the territorial integrity of countries.

The two sides described bilateral ties between the two states as growing, and emphasized the determination of the two countries' presidents for further enhancement of relations.

They also referred to the developments in the Caucasus region, and highlighted the recent talks between the Iranian foreign minister and the president of the Azerbaijan Republic.

In this context, the two ministers laid emphasis on the framework of regional negotiations, including a format known as the 3+3 comprising Iran, Russia, Turkey, the Azerbaijan Republic, Armenia and Georgia.

In addition, Amir-Abdollahian and Lavrov discussed the convening of a second meeting of the foreign ministers of Iran, Russia, Turkey and Syria.

During the talks, Amir-Abdollahian expressed surprise over the articles related to the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf included in a joint statement issued by Russia and the countries on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf, emphasizing that the islands belong to Iran historically and permanently.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity has never been and is never up for negotiations," he added.

The top Iranian diplomat said, however, that Iran-Russia ties enjoy strong foundations, stressing that no action should be taken to harm the deep-rooted relations between the two countries.

In turn, the Russian foreign minister pointed to his country's commitment to all principles of the United Nations Charter, including the ones related to countries' sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He said the Russian Federation never develops any doubts about the Islamic Republic's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that it respects and will respect them completely.

In this call, the parties emphasized the need to respect, maintain and strengthen the friendly relations between the two countries. They also exchanged views on the final stages of drafting the text of the strategic agreement between Iran and Russia.

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