SINGAPORE, August 2. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif have held a meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) events in Singapore on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that the two top diplomats discussed the Iran nuclear deal and preparations for the next Caspian summit.
According to the ministry, the parties "continued to discuss the situation surrounding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for Iran’s nuclear program, the Syria issue and preparations for the fifth Caspian summit."
The Russian and Iranian foreign ministers also touched upon bilateral cooperation, focusing on the implementation of agreements on boosting trade and economic ties.
Iran nuclear deal issue
In 2015, Iran and six major powers (five member states of the United Nations Security Council - Russia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and China - and Germany) agreed on the final Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which particularly stipulated the removal of sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program.
On May 8, Trump announced Washington’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. He said that old sanctions on Iran would be restored and new ones would be introduced in case Tehran attempted to pursue its nuclear ambitions.
In the wake of Trump’s decision, the leaders of Great Britain, Germany and France called on other participants in the deal to continue fulfilling it. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Tehran would not abandon the JCPOA and would continue to comply with its obligations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Washington’s withdrawal from the JCPOA would violate the United Nations Security Council’s resolution. He added that Russia would seek to maintain the agreement despite US plans to resume sanctions against Iran.
Caspian summit
The five Caspian states (Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran) continue working on a convention concerning the legal status of the Caspian Sea, planned to be submitted to the heads of state at their next summit.
The legal status of the Caspian Sea remains the key issue discussed at the regional countries’ summits.
The five countries’ leaders held their first meeting in Turkmenistan’s capital of Ashgabat in 2002. The second Caspian summit was held in the Iranian capital of Tehran in 2007, while Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku hosted the third summit in 2010, and Russia’s Astrakhan hosted the fourth summit in 2014.