Turkey's foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Sunday that Iran expressed willingness to engage in nuclear talks with EU most likely in the second week of September, after Ramadan, Anadolu Agency reported.
Turkish foreign minister also said that Iran would send a letter to Vienna Group on Monday in response to group's letter sent to Iran last month.
Davutoglu appeared at a press conference in Istanbul following his three-way meeting with his Iranian and Brazilian counterparts, Manuchehr Motaki and Celso Amorim.
It was their first meeting after May 18 uranium swap deal which could not prevent fresh UN sanctions adopted on June 9.
Davutoglu said that parties in "uranium swap" were Iran and the Vienna Group (United States, France, Russia and International Atomic Energy Agency); and parties involved in the final settlement of the question were, again, Iran and the P5+1 countries (five permanent members of the UN Security Council --United States, Britain, France, China and Russia-- plus Germany).
"Iran has once again reaffirmed that it was ready for talks with [EU foreign affairs chief] Catherine Ashton as representative of the P5+1. Iranian officials have reaffirmed that they were ready for talks probably in the second week of September after Ramadan," he said.
"There is a consensus that talks could take place in Istanbul," he added.
Also, Davutoglu reiterated that their goal was to keep diplomatic ways open to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear program, adding that prime goal of the Tehran agreement was to pave the way for a diplomatic solution.
"Mr. Motaki told us that Iran would send a letter to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday morning in response to Vienna Group's letter and questions asked last month," Davutoglu said.
Earlier, Iran had sent another letter to IAEA in which it said was ready for technical negotiations with the Vienna Group as required by the Tehran Declaration. The Group had responded to Iran's letter.
"I hope this [Monday's] letter and the new period to begin with this letter will lay the groundwork for a stronger diplomatic channel," Davutoglu said.
In May, Turkey and Brazil signed a uranium swap deal with Iran under which Iran committed to give 1,200kg of 3.5 percent enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for 20 percent enriched uranium it will receive from Western countries to be used as fuel in the nuclear research reactor in Tehran.
Iran agreed to receive the enriched uranium in Turkey from the Vienna Group, comprising of the United States, France, Russia and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).