Iran Deplores Lack of Western Initiatives in Vienna Talks

In a telephone conversation on Thursday, the Iranian foreign minister and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi discussed a range of issues, including the bilateral relations, the nuclear talks’ process in Vienna, and the international developments.

Amirabdollahian conveyed the greetings of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Chinese President Xi Jinping, and, in response to the invitation of the Chinese foreign minister, announced his readiness to visit Beijing in the near future.

The top Iranian diplomat also deplored the US government and some Western countries over their move to impose diplomatic boycott on the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Amirabdollahian expressed confidence that the upcoming sporting event will be held in a good and successful way, announcing the presence of senior sports officials of Iran along with the caravan of Iranian athletes in this important event, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

He also thanked and appreciated the Chinese government’s support during the nuclear talks in Vienna, describing the process of talks as good overall. He, however, criticized the lack of initiative on the part of the Western parties in Vienna.

Amirabdollahian then expressed hope that the Western parties would act on the basis of logic and, like Iran, participate in the negotiations in good faith and with initiatives.

For his part, the Chinese foreign minister conveyed the warm greetings of President Xi Jinping to Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi.

He described the relations between the two countries as strategic and announced the Chinese government’s determination to further expand and deepen relations.

Wang Yi then supported the positions of Iran, stressing the need for convergence and cooperation with other developing countries against unilateralism and expansionism on the part of international powers, particularly the US.

He also described the forthcoming visit of the Iranian foreign minister to China as an opportunity to advance the common goals of the two countries.

The Chinese foreign minister also reaffirmed his country’s support for Iran in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic until the eradication of the disease.

Wang Yi also thanked Iran for its stance on the West's action in connection with the Beijing Winter Olympics and expressed hope that China, as the host of the games, would hold the event with the participation of Iranian teams as magnificently as possible.

Regarding the nuclear talks in Vienna, the top Chinese diplomat supported Iran's approach to the negotiations given the positive actions and initiatives as well as good faith of the Islamic Republic.

Wang Yi described the positive efforts of the Iranian side in the negotiation process as facilitating. The Chinese foreign minister also praised Iran's efforts to negotiate with some regional countries to resolve misunderstandings in the region, calling it a factor in stabilizing the region.

At the end, Iran’s foreign minister described actions such as the AUKUS treaty (between Australia, the US and the UK) as a sign of a severe weakening of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT, through the application of double standards. He added that this approach will probably provoke similar actions.

The two foreign ministers finally stressed the need for continued talks and close consultations between Tehran and Beijing on bilateral issues as well as issues of common interest in the international arena.