Iran, Russia to Continue Support for Syria, Says Abdollahian
TEHRAN – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian reiterated the necessity for finding a peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria, and said Tehran and Moscow will continue their support for Syria, according to FNA.
“Tehran and Moscow, along with some other countries, will continue their support for Syria and reject any military…solution” Amir Abdollahian said .
He further noted that Syria’s supporters emphasize the need for a “political solution” as the only way out of the turmoil in the Middle Eastern country.
“Collective regional support for the terrorism-hit states is in the interest of all countries and governments, and the Islamic Republic of Iran acts seriously, wisely and forcefully on this path,” Amir Abdollahian said.
Last Thursday, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin underlined that Iran plays an important role in resolving the regional crises, specially in Syria.
“It will be a great mistake to exclude Iran from any future talks on Syria,” Churkin said.
The Russian envoy reiterated that Iran an influential regional player must be included in the future talks.
On October 27, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov foreign minister also stressed the role of Iran in efforts to end the crisis in Syria.
“We consider it to be a great mistake to exclude countries like Iran from the list of negotiators,” Lavrov said, adding, “All Syrian neighbors without exception should be represented at the negotiating table.”
Iran, Russia Confer on Nuclear Talks
On the other hand, Iranian and Russian officials in a meeting in Moscow discussed the latest developments in the nuclear talks between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (the Us, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany).
The meeting was held between Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Mehdi Sanayee and Russia’s senior nuclear negotiator Sergei Ryabkov on Wednesday.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the two sides discussed results of the negotiations between Iran and Group 5+1.
Iran and the six major world powers have already held 8 rounds of nuclear negotiations after inking an interim agreement in Geneva on November 24, 2013, and have less than three weeks time to strike a final deal before the November 24 deadline.
Tehran and the six powers have already held seven rounds of talks in Vienna, and one more round in New York and on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. They are now preparing for their 9th round of negotiations due to be held in Masqat, Oman, on November 11.
The Geneva agreement took effect on January 20 and expired six months later on July 20. In July, Tehran and the six countries agreed to extend negotiations until November 24 after they failed to reach an agreement on a number of key issues.
R.S