Iran nuclear programme to top Moscow talks agenda - Iranian foreign minister

TEHRAN, August 29 (Itar-Tass) - Talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will include a variety of issues with Iran’s nuclear programme negotiations with the six world powers topping the agenda, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on arrival in Moscow on Friday. Zarif told Russian and foreign reporters that since the election of Hassan Rouhani as Iran’s president, the Islamic Republic has been pursuing the policy of close relations with Russia, regarding it as a strategic and serious partner, as a neighbour and country with which Iran has common positions on important international problems, according to IRNA news agency. The Iranian foreign minister said co-operation between Tehran and Moscow is widening, the sides are negotiating the construction of new nuclear reactors in Iran and develop nuclear energy co-operation. Zarif said Iran hopes that “the negotiations with the West have reached the final stage, and consultations with Russia will be broader.” “Ever since Mr. Rouhaniˈs election we have been pursuing a policy of very close relations with the Russian Federation as a strategic and serious partner as a neighbour, and as a country with shared stands on noticeable issues at the international scene,” Javad Zarif told reporters. He referred to two rounds of talks between the two countries’ presidents in the course of the past year and the major developments in bilateral relations in that while, arguing that those matters and the rapid regional developments have made constant consultations between the two countries’ top officials necessary. According to IRNA, the Iranian foreign minister said consultations and meetings with Russian officials, including on countering the threat emanating from the Islamic State terrorists, as well as deeper co-operation in this respect.” According to Iranian media, Zarif arrived in Moscow from Ankara where he attended the inauguration ceremony of Turkish new President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Learn more on itar-tass.com