Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described as substantial and positive his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying they discussed Tehran-Moscow ties, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and regional issues, including Syria. The top Iranian diplomat met with Putin in Russia’s southwestern city of Sochi on Wednesday evening, during his ten-hour trip to Russia. Speaking to reporters afterward, Zarif described the gathering, also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as “substantial and positive”. One of the main topics discussed in the meeting was the crisis in Syria, Zarif noted, saying Iran and Russia work in close cooperation in the fight against terrorism. He then added that Iran, Russia and Turkey would keep working on ways to settle the crisis in Syria by launching the next round of peace negotiations in the Kazakh city of Astana.
