On September 24, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov took part in a ministerial meeting of countries parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to resolve the situation around the Iranian nuclear programme, on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York. High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini coordinated the meeting.

The ministers reviewed the situation with the JCPOA in the context of accomplishing tasks set forth in the Joint Statement, which was approved after the July 6 ministerial meeting of members of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna. In this context, it was noted that JCPOA participants had exerted intensive efforts to create favourable conditions allowing Iran to become involved in international trade, economic and financial cooperation contrary to the United States’ illegitimate exterritorial sanctions against Iran. The meeting participants reaffirmed their determination to continue working to protect cooperation with Iran in the interests of preserving the JCPOA, which was approved by UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015), and ensuring its full-fledged implementation. They underscored the importance of the fact that Iran has unfailingly fulfilled its obligations, as invariably confirmed by the IAEA. The Russian side reaffirmed its support for the JCPOA and underscored its determination to take all the necessary steps to effectively fulfil the conditions of the agreement, which remains an inalienable element of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and overall international security. During the meeting, the ministers coordinated a Joint Statement reflecting the meeting’s main results.