Russia Assures Tehran of Safety of Iranians in Ukraine
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov assured his Iranian counterpart that Moscow is cautious about protecting the lives of foreign citizens, including Iranians, residing in Ukraine, where fighting has broken out in recent days.
In a telephone conversation with Lavrov on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that efforts are underway for the repatriation of Iranian nationals living in Ukraine through neighboring countries.
"It is our serious priority to ensure security and health of Iranian citizens living in Ukraine and we expect that grounds will be prepared for their safe exit," he added.
The top Russian diplomat, for his part, briefed his Iranian counterpart on his country's stance on the Ukrainian crisis and slammed Western states' position in this regard.
Lavrov assured Amirabdollahian that Russia is serious about protecting the lives of foreign citizens in Ukraine, including Iranians, Press TV reported.
Elsewhere in the conversation, Amirabdollahian said Iran would never cross its red lines in the ongoing negotiations with the five remaining parties to the 2015 Iran deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which are underway in the Austrian capital of Vienna with the purpose of salvaging the landmark US-abandoned agreement.
For his part, Lavrov once again reiterated Russia's determination to continue cooperation with Iran in the course of the Vienna talks and said Moscow has always supported Tehran's stance.
The Iranian foreign minister further denounced the "destructive" move by the UN Security Council to adopt a draft resolution against Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement and the world body's "wrong" move to designate the Houthis as a terrorist group. He also urged the UNSC to stop the resolution.
Amirabdollahian said, "Yemen belongs to all Yemenis and intra-Yemeni talks are the solution" to the crisis in the country.
Lavrov, for his turn, explained Russia's stance on the developments in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies, backed by the United States and European powers, launched the war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi back to power and crushing Ansarullah resistance movement.