Zarif: Iran, Russia constantly consulting on various issues

ˈTeheran and Moscow have regular consultations on issues such as our countryˈs nuclear program, the ongoing Muddle East developments, and the current status in Syria,ˈ said Mohammad-Javad Zarif moments after his arrival in Moscow in a meeting with the press.

Referring to his schedule for attending the Tuesday Caspian Sea Littoral States Foreign Ministers Conference, he said, ˈThe discussions on the Caspian Sea, as a shared water body among its littoral countries are among the significant issues pursued as of many years ago.ˈ

He said that the expertsˈ level meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states was held on Monday and the Tuesday ministerial meeting, too, will focus on preparing the ground for the Caspian Sea Littoral States Summit Meeting in the fall season of 2014 in Russia.

ˈOur colleagues have held several meetings in the course of the past few months on the legal regime of the Caspian Sea and they have achieved important results,ˈ he said.

The Iranian top diplomat hoped that the meetings on the status of the Caspian Sea would improve the conditions for the peoples living by the coasts of that water body.

Pointing to his planned visit with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the 3rd Caspian Sea Littoral States Foreign Ministers Conference, Zarif said, ˈWe also have constant consultations with the foreign ministers of the other littoral states of the Caspian Sea, which will continue tomorrow.ˈ

He said that such issues as Syria and Afghanistan were top on the agenda of the Iran-Russia consultations, adding, ˈAfghanistan, keeping in mind the recent presidential elections there, has high significance in our consultations.ˈ

ˈWe also regularly consult with the Russian officials on the Syrian developments and harmonize our stands in that respect,ˈ he said.

Zarif said that the efforts aimed at peace making as well as the campaign against terrorism are high on agenda of Iran-Russia shared interests in Syria.

After arrival in Moscowˈs Vnukovo Airport, Zarif was officially welcomed by the Russian Foreign Ministry officials, the Iranian ambassador to the Russian Federation, and the heads of the Iranian organizations in Moscow.

During his two-day visit of Moscow the Iranian top diplomat is scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov tomorrow (on Tuesday) on the sidelines of the Caspian Sea Littoral States Conference.

Among the issues of high importance in Zarif-Lavrov meeting there will be the most significant developments in bilateral ties, the latest status of the Caspian Sea legal regime, international and regional developments, such as the aggravating status in Ukraine and the resolving crisis in Syria.

The Iranian foreign minister is meanwhile scheduled to have a meeting with the Iranians residing in Russia in the residence of the Iranian ambassador in Moscow on Tuesday.

Zarif and Lavrov will hold a joint press conference at the end of the Iranian foreign ministerˈs visit of the Russian capital city.

The Moscow 3rd Caspian Sea Littoral States Foreign Ministers Conference, comprised of the top diplomats of Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan and will be held in Moscow on Tuesday.

Atop the agenda of the Moscow conference there is preparing the draft of the 4th Caspian Sea Littoral States Conference communiqué, which is scheduled for September 2014 in Astrakhan, Russia.

The preliminary meeting of the legal affairs experts of the 5 Caspian Sea littoral countries was held today (on Monday) at Moscow World Trade Center and the head of the Iranian delegation in it was Deputy Foreign Minister for Asian and Pacific Affairs Ebrahim Rahimpour.

This is Zarifˈs second visit of Moscow as the Iranian foreign minister. His first visit was in March, 2014.

Rahimpour had earlier on Monday told IRNA that the Caspian Sea legal regime has not been finalized yet by the littoral states.

Talking to IRNA, he noted that despite the constructive talks among Caspian Sea littoral states, resolving the legal status of the world’s largest inland sea needs more discussions.

Ministerial meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states aims to prepare the ground for the fourth Caspian summit due to be held in Astrakhan in autumn, the deputy foreign minister added.

He noted that foreign ministers of the Caspian Sea littoral states will discuss the program and agenda of the summit as well as the final document.

The issue of the Caspian Sea’s legal regime has gained importance following the breakup of the USSR and the emergence of newly independent states.

The meeting will also analyze the work done since the last Caspian summit in Baku in 2010.