On 23-24 November, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended a series of events that included the foreign ministers of the six mediator countries (the UK, Germany, China, Russia, the United States and France) and Iran, as well as EU representative Catherine Ashton.

They discussed the negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and noted the progress, adding that they had not yet reached the point where a final agreement could be made. They also approved subsequent measures towards an early and comprehensive settlement.

During a coordination meeting of the six nations and a plenary meeting that was attended by the Iranian delegation, Sergey Lavrov pointed out that the sides’ positions on nearly all of the outstanding issues had recently become much closer. The key role in this was played by the Russian proposed principles of phasing and mutuality, which provided a foundation for dialogue, as well as a number of Russian ideas and proposals that were taken into account at the talks. The Russian Foreign Minister expressed confidence in the potential to reach an agreement, given the political will, and urged the participants to continue intensive talks at the political and expert levels in the interests of a settlement. There is no alternative to a political and diplomatic solution.