Pars Today

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf says an agreement is within reach between Tehran and the remaining parties to the multilateral 2015 nuclear deal during the ongoing sanctions-removal talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna if the opposite parties respect others’ interests.

Qalibaf made the remarks in a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday on the sidelines of the 16th Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (PUIC). The Turkish parliament speaker, Mustafa Sentop, was also present.

"Major powers must learn that they should not impose their own will on other countries, and that an agreement is within reach if they accept to respect the interests of others," Qalibaf said.

Elsewhere in the meeting, Qalibaf stressed the importance of improving Tehran-Ankara economic ties, saying the two sides are finalizing a comprehensive document on cooperation, which demonstrates their firm determination to boost relations.

The top Iranian parliamentarian added that Tehran supports a 3+3 format cooperation mechanism – comprising the three South Caucasus countries, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan plus Russia, Turkey and Iran.

"All countries in the Caucasus should have good relations with each other. This important [issue] can contribute to the development of the region," he emphasized.

Erdogan hopes Vienna talks will yield fair results

The Turkish president, for his part, said he hopes the Vienna talks would achieve fair results aimed at implementing the nuclear deal. Erdogan said despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Iran and Turkey have managed to promote economic cooperation, adding the two countries should work more to further enhance the ties.

Referring to the latest developments in Afghanistan, he called on international bodies to help Iran overcome the crisis of Afghan refugees who had fled their country after the Taliban takeover.

Erdogan expressed hope to visit Tehran in the near future.

SS