JCPOA needs to be restored to its 2015 configuration - Kremlin
MOSCOW. July 18 (Interfax) - Russia stands for the reinstatement of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program in the configuration acknowledged by a United Nations Security Council resolution in 2015, with the objective of lifting restrictions on Iran's commercial and economic interaction with the rest of the world, Russian presidential aide Yury Yushakov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a working visit to Iran on Tuesday to take part in a summit of heads of states involved in the talks on Syria in the Astana format. As part of his visit, Putin will have separate meetings with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"It is quite logical that the situation surrounding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program would be discussed during the two contacts with the Iranian leaders. It's logical, and Russia stands for the reinstatement of the nuclear deal in the configuration which was affirmed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 in 2015," Ushakov said.
"In other words, of course, the objective is lifting restrictions on Iran's normal commercial and economic interaction with the outside world, and Moscow will continue efforts on this track," he said.
Russia considers the continuation of contacts on the JCPOA important. "We support the dialogue established between Iran and the United States with the mediation of the European Union and consider this dialogue a clear demonstration of Iran's commitment to looking for compromises for the resumption of the full-scale implementation of the JCPOA," he said.
Speaking of bilateral relations between Russia and Iran, Ushakov noted that interaction between the countries has centuries-long history. "Both countries have plans to bring bilateral cooperation to a new level; a level of strategic partnership. And a new treaty is being drafted to that end," the Russian presidential aide said.
Putin and Khamenei will meet for the fifth time, the Russian president and the Iranian leader have established a confident dialogue on the most relevant issues on the bilateral and international agenda, he said. "I would like to note that the conversation between the president [of the Russian Federation] and the leader [of Iran], as a rule, has a conceptual nature. It's a completely free exchange of views with extensive coverage of all relevant international issues and an analysis of the general situation in the world. Our stances on the majorities of issues are close or identical," Ushakov said.
Putin's meeting Raisi will be his third this year.