Moscow, March 01: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has expressed his country’s opposition to unilateral sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, urging logic to deal with the case.
“We are strongly against politicization of Iran’s nuclear case and call for debating the issue through legal and technical channels,” Mehr news agency quoted Lavrov as speaking in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in the Swiss city of Geneva on Monday.
“We have repeatedly announced that we do not accept unilateral sanctions and call on both sides to take confidence-building measures which will satisfy the sides through a gradual solution,” he added.
Lavrov noted that his country has always supported interaction with Iran and emphasized that Moscow believes that negotiations would be “the best way to resolve issues.”
The Iranian minister, for his part, said extremism of the other side is the root cause of problems with regard to Iran’s nuclear case, adding, “The Islamic Republic has always adopted rightful stance based on interaction and cooperation.”
“The International Atomic Energy Agency has also repeatedly confirmed peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities,” he pointed out.
Lavrov and Salehi also exchanged views on ways to strengthen Tehran-Moscow cooperation on regional and international issues.
Meanwhile, Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger, in a meeting with Salehi, said his country strongly believes that negotiations and not confrontation would be the best solution to Iran’s nuclear issue.
“We call for constant contact and consultation with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Spindelegger noted.
He also asked for the expansion of relations with Iran on various bilateral and multilateral issues.
Salehi said deep-rooted relations between Tehran and Vienna provide a strong base for promotion of bilateral cooperation in the future.
He added that Iran and Austria enjoy common ground for cooperation in global issues, including restoring peace and security.
The top Iranian diplomat also held separate talks with his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle on the same day. During the meeting, the two ministers discussed the latest developments in Tehran-Berlin ties.
Salehi and Westerwelle praised growing relations between the two countries and called for the continuation of joint consultations.
The Iranian foreign minister arrived in Geneva early Monday at the head of a high-ranking delegation.
He delivered a speech at the 16th session of the UN Human Rights Council on Monday and is scheduled to address a plenary meeting of the Conference on Disarmament.
He also held talks with EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on the same day.
——–Agencies