MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd September, 2021) UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the Iran nuclear deal on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly's high week, the British Foreign Office said on Thursday.
"They discussed the need for Iran to return to nuclear talks. They also discussed stability and security in Afghanistan including the need for the Taliban (a terrorist group, banned in Russia) to form an inclusive government," the statement read.
The meeting took place before the UK-hosted summit of five permanent UN Security Council members, which in addition to the UK and Russia include China, France and the United States.
The Taliban took overall control of Afghanistan early fall and formed a new all-male interim cabinet, headed by Mohammad Hasan Akhund, who served as a foreign minister during the first Taliban rule and has been under UN sanctions since 2001.
The latest round of negotiations in Vienna on the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program ended in June. The United States withdrew from the accord in 2018, prompting Iran to renege on its own commitments. According to Russian Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, the work to restore the deal was completed by almost 90 percent, with the only outstanding issues being the political aspect of Washington's obligations.
