Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Thursday as part of a two-day visit to Tehran. The night before, the Russian Minister was received by the President of the Islamic Republic, Ebrahim Raisi.
The main topics of the talks are expected to be the prospects for a return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program and the current situation in Ukraine. The parties also intend to address the situation in Syria, Afghanistan, the South Caucasus, the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.
In addition to the very broad international agenda, the diplomatic leaders will also focus on bilateral issues, which include the implementation of key joint projects in energy and transport, as well as in the cultural and humanitarian spheres. Moscow and Tehran have repeatedly stressed their desire to develop cooperation in all directions, despite enormous pressure from the West. A few days earlier, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali stated that his country considered Russia to be a priority state for developing relations.
"We intend to further expand mutually beneficial ties with Iran in the interests of regional stability and international security. We see good prospects for consolidating the current positive trends in all spheres of Russian-Iranian interaction," it was said in Smolensk Square ahead of Lavrov's visit.
The negotiation process
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's Permanent Representative to the international organizations in Vienna, had earlier pointed out that the situation around the Iranian nuclear deal had reached an impasse. Previously, after eight rounds of meetings on restoring the JCPOA in the Austrian capital, the negotiations had claimed that the process had reached the finish line. However, in March the parties took a break due to external factors, and the pause is now in its fourth month.
The situation on this front has deteriorated significantly in recent days. On 8 June, the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution on Iran that criticized Iran for failing to clarify the origin of uranium particles at three undeclared sites. Thirty council member states voted for the document, with Russia and China voting against it and India, Libya and Pakistan abstaining. Tehran noted before the vote that the adoption of such a resolution would be a setback to the negotiation process, and after the adoption of the resolution promised a strong and proportionate response.
Lavrov and Abdollahian are to clarify their countries' positions on the issue and outline possible ways to resolve it. "The Ministers will pay special attention to the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran's nuclear program, including against the background of the complications that have arisen in Iran's cooperation with the IAEA in connection with the adoption, at the initiative of the US and its European satellites, of a politicized anti-Iranian resolution at the agency's Board of Governors session held in early June," the Russian Foreign Ministry described the situation.
Foreign policy coordination in a challenging environment
Russia and Iran interact closely on a wide range of international issues, and Lavrov's current trip to Tehran will be a good chance to enhance this coordination. For instance, the countries are engaged in an intense dialogue on Syria, around which tensions continue to rise amid new Israeli strikes on its territory, as well as Turkey's impending military operation in the northern Arab republics. The 18th International Meeting in the Astana format, which also touched upon these topics, concluded in Nur Sultan on 16 June. The Ministers will undoubtedly continue discussing them during the upcoming talks.
Moscow also welcomes Tehran's participation in multilateral mechanisms other than the Astana one. In particular, Russia supports the process of Iran's admission to the SCO and looks forward to the signing of a corresponding memorandum of commitment by the republic at the organization's summit to be held in Samarkand in September.
Both countries are affected by widespread Western sanctions, which is another reason to respond by accelerating establishment of economic ties with each other. "We note progress in the negotiations for a full-fledged free trade agreement between Iran and the EAEU. Three rounds of consultations have already been held and we expect the desired result to be achieved as soon as possible," the Russian diplomatic mission added. - Hostile moves by unfriendly Western countries and the introduction of illegal restrictive measures against our country will not affect Russia's determination to progressively deepen its multifaceted partnership with the Islamic Republic of Iran in all areas of mutual interest".
In addition to it, the Russian Foreign Minister is likely to use the opportunity at the meeting to brief his Iranian counterpart on the progress of the Russian special operation in Ukraine.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS