Deputy Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Baqeri says the Islamic Republic and Russia have built consensus on regional and international developments
Tehran and Moscow are aware of plots by foreign powers regarding regional issues and have carried out extensive consultations over the recent months, said Baqeri in the Russian capital, Moscow, on Thursday.
Iran and Russia are two strong neighboring countries which enjoy a special position in the international arena. They held constant consultations on key regional and global issues in the past, he added.
Baqeri arrived in Moscow on Wednesday for a two-day official visit to hold discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the country’s other political and security authorities.
The Iranian nuclear official further said that Tehran is on the threshold of a new round of talks with the permanent members of the UN Security Council – Russia, China, France, Britain and the US – plus Germany (P5+1).
Talks are underway to determine the exact date and venue for fresh discussions between Iran and P5+1, but no decision has yet been made in this regard, Baqeri added.
He noted that the two sides will also set the agenda for the talks.
On January 8, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed that Iran and the P5+1 have agreed in principle to hold talks in Turkey.
Iran’s Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani welcomed on Monday Turkey’s offer to host the upcoming comprehensive talks between Iran and the six major nuclear powers, saying Tehran sees no hurdles in holding multifaceted discussions with the P5+1 in Turkey.
Iran and the P5+1 have so far held two rounds of multifaceted talks, the first round of which was held in Geneva in December 2010 and later in the Turkish city of Istanbul last January.