Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday during a phone conversation reaffirmed their support for mutually-beneficial economic cooperation with Iran and stressed importance of preserving the Iran nuclear deal, the Kremlin said in a statement.
“During the discussion of the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program, the importance of preserving this agreement, which is a key factor in maintaining international stability and security, was noted. Russia, France and Germany reaffirmed their commitment to further mutually beneficial cooperation with Iran in trade and economy,” the statement said.
Since the US withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) last year, Washington has reinstated sanctions against Iran, targeting mainly its oil sector.
Other signatories to the Iran nuclear deal, China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, the United Kingdom and the European Union, have slammed Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA stressing that the reinstatement of sanctions threatens not only Iran itself but also countries and companies that stay continue doing business with Tehran.Having that in mind, these countries agreed that a special mechanism, dubbed the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), would be created to facilitate trade between companies and Iran amid the sanctions by Washington.
The situation in Syria
The leaders have also discussed the situation in Syria with a focus on formation of a constitutional committee in the war-torn country.
“[The parties] thoroughly exchanged opinions about the situation in Syria, including… multiple ceasefire violations in Idlib by radical armed groups. The Russian president informed his colleagues about the joint efforts made with Turkey on stabilizing the situation in northwestern Syria, protecting civilians and neutralizing the terror threat… The parties attached special attention to formation and launch of the constitutional committee, given the agreements reached during the Istanbul quadrilateral summit [Russia, Turkey, France, Germany] held in October 2018,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
The leaders agreed to continue efforts to settle the Syrian conflict in line with the UN Security Council’s resolutions.
Russia, alongside Turkey and Iran, is a guarantor of the ceasefire in Syria. Moscow has also been assisting Damascus through supporting the struggle against terrorist groups, providing humanitarian aid to local residents and facilitating the return of refugees.
