Tuesday, 19 October 2021 (YJC)_ In a telephone conversation with the UN Secretary-General, the Iranian foreign minister said that he did not want the prisoner exchange to be tied to the nuclear talks.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, had a telephone conversation with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres.
In this conversation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of our country, while referring to the terrorist acts of ISIL in Afghanistan in recent days, expressed concern over the situation in Afghanistan and stated:
Terrorist movements and the targeting of worshipers, along with the resettlement of Afghan refugees, have increased the responsibility of the United Nations and its Secretary-General in this regard.
Amir Abdullahian called for serious action by the UN Secretary-General to stop and combat terrorism in Afghanistan.
In this telephone call, our Foreign Minister also referred to the nuclear talks and said:
Ali Bagheri, the Deputy Foreign Minister's political negotiator with Enrique Mora, has been positive and will continue these talks in Brussels next week. The Islamic Republic of Iran supports the talks that will have tangible practical results. Iran will also return to its obligations.
Referring to the issue of prisoner exchange, Amir-Abdollahian added:
We consider the issue of prisoners to be humanitarian and we do not want it to be tied to the nuclear negotiations.
The Foreign Minister also invited Guterres to visit our country.
Expressing hope for the success of the nuclear talks, Guterres said: "The United Nations has always supported JCPOA and after Trump's departure, it has been looking for a way to return the situation to the time before the US withdrew from JCPOA."