Tehran is grateful for Moscow's willingness to condemn the Natanz incident involving an electrical accident at a nuclear facility, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Tuesday.
"The close bilateral regional and international cooperation as well as interaction in the fight against terrorism and on the way to strengthening the nuclear deal has been very important and will continue. And I think it is necessary to thank the Russian side for condemning the Natanz sabotage," he said at the beginning of his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, commenting on the incident, said on Monday that if information about the malicious actions that caused the accident is confirmed, that intent would merit strong condemnation.
Zarif stressed that Russia and Iran have been and remain two neighbors and strategic partners, and this cooperation has advanced greatly over the past eight years, including thanks to the stance of the two countries' leaders, Ali Khamenei and Vladimir Putin.
For his part, Lavrov said Moscow appreciates the possibility of maintaining regular face-to-face contacts with the Iranian side despite the coronavirus pandemic. "I am very glad for our next meeting on the hospitable Iranian soil. I very much appreciate our traditional close interaction, not only using modern technology, but face-to-face, despite the pandemic and the restrictions it has caused. This face-to-face communication has continued regularly," the Russian Minister said at the beginning of the meeting.
"Today we will continue to talk about all the problems we discussed during your visit to Moscow in January," Lavrov said. He added that Moscow and Tehran's ties "cover the whole range of the states' activities, including contacts at the highest level and including regular communication between relevant ministries and agencies, and including parliamentary ties." "Undoubtedly, we are united by common approaches to contemporary international regional problems," Lavrov stressed.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS