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Foreign Ministry’s Performance in First 100 Days Explained

Amir-Abdollahian said Iran is serious about negotiating and reaching an agreement and hopes to see this seriousness of purpose in the western sides as well
Foreign Ministry’s Performance in First 100 Days Explained
Foreign Ministry’s Performance in First 100 Days Explained

Iran’s top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian provided an account of the Foreign Ministry’s performance in its first 100 days of office in a recorded video on Saturday. 
On the very early days, special attention was focused on the import of the much needed vaccine doses against the coronavirus disease that was taking the lives of Iranians in massive numbers at the time, according to the minister. 
Officials in the ministry and ambassadors in other countries did their utmost to facilitate the import of a large volume of vaccines, as a result of which over 100 million shots have been injected today, he added in the video that was published by the ministry’s website. 
Centralized efforts were also initiated in the ministry toward the goal of advancing economic diplomacy with a special focus on neighboring and Asian countries, Amir-Abdollahian said.
He pointed to the ratification of the document on the initiation of Iran’s permanent membership to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a major success along this line.
“Over the next year, gradually and step by step, we will see Iran’s expansion of trade and economic ties with SCO member states,” he said. 
The foreign minister also attended the United Nations General Assembly in September on behalf of President Ebrahim Raeisi who was busy attending to urgent domestic affairs in the beginning of his days in office. 
“In New York, I met over 50 foreign ministers from all geographical regions, including neighbors, Asia, Europe, Oceania, Africa, and Latin America, as well as UN officials, think thanks, former American officials and journalists,” he said. 
Pointing to the developments in Afghanistan, he said the ministry made great efforts to avoid being affected by the insecurity and instability in this country during the shift of power.
The efforts were centered on controlling the borders, managing the influx of refugees and displaced Afghans while also finding a political solution to resolve the crisis in the war-torn country, the minister added. 
He said the ministry will also publish a “white paper of foreign policy” as the document on this administration’s agenda for the next four years, which will be accessible for the elite and the public. 

 

 

JCPOA Policies

Another major task the Foreign Ministry was engaged in during this period was the 2015 nuclear deal and negotiations in Vienna, Austria, which aim to restore the agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. 
The JCPOA has been on shaky ground ever since the US pulled out and reimposed sanctions that prompted Tehran to take reciprocal steps beyond the limits of the accord. 
The Vienna talks, which initiated in April to bring both sides back to compliance, were halted in June after the new government came to power in Iran, but are set to restart on Nov 29.  
During the pause, Amir-Abdollahian held extensive consultations with all negotiating parties, namely, France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China. 
Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri, who will lead Iran’s delegation in Vienna, also visited European capitals, Moscow and some regional countries and had a webinar with Beijing for discussions on the negotiating process.  
The diplomatic body was also in contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency to maintain constructive cooperation and resolve the issues that could affect the nuclear talks.  
“We have made all preparations for reaching a good agreement, on condition that the other sides return to their commitments completely,” he said. 
Iran’s definite and clear position is that the Iranian nation’s rights and interests must be upheld at the negotiating table and sanctions must be removed, he stressed, hoping that the upcoming talks will mark major steps forward. 
“Definitely, Iran’s hands will not be tied and there are different options ahead of us, but we will start with the option of dialogue and negotiation in Vienna,” Amir-Abdollahian said. 
Iran is serious about negotiating and reaching an agreement and hopes to see this seriousness of purpose in the western sides as they claim, he added.

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