Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called Iran's neighboring countries to follow Turkey's approach towards the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, the country's Fars news agency reported Dec. 17.
Iran's neighbors should know that Tehran's nuclear program is not against anyone and the entire region would benefit from a nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1(the US, UK, France, Russia, China plus Germany), Zarif said.
He asked the countries to follow Turkey as a "good model" on this "important issue" and help achieving a solution to the nuclear case.
Zarif said that the region countries should not be concerned about the settlement of the Islamic Republic's nuclear issue.
"Turkey has always supported Iran's rights for peaceful nuclear activities," the Iranian FM said.
The UN Security Council imposed sanctions against Iran, demanding the country to prove that it is not preparing to develop nuclear weapons.
The Islamic Republic has on numerous occasions stated that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, using nuclear technology for electricity generation and medical purposes instead.
Iran and the P5+1 started a fresh round of nuclear talks after the extension of negotiation deadline on Dec. 17 on deputy foreign ministers level in the Swiss city of Geneva. The Iranian diplomats also held bilateral meetings with the US and French delegations over the past two days.
Iran and the P5+1 group agreed to extend nuclear talks until July 1, 2015 after failing to meet the 24 Nov. deadline to reach a comprehensive nuclear agreement.
The sides also extended the Geneva nuclear deal, which was signed last November for providing Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities.
Edited by CN
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Umid Niayesh is Trend Agency's staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @UmidNiayesh