President Hassan Rouhani has described his recent visit to Russia to take part in the 4th summit of the Caspian Sea littoral states as "fruitful and productive".
Rouhani made the remarks upon arrival in Tehran on Monday night after a tour that took him to New York and the Russian city of Astrakhan.
The president paid a two-day visit to Russia after he wrapped up his visit to New York where he attended the 69th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly.
"One major agreement was made over demarcation of sea borders…, which was for a long time under discussion and during the summit the Iranian proposal was approved," the website of the presidential office quoted him as saying.
Rouhani also referred to his meetings with heads of state of Russia and Azerbaijan and said, "During those meetings we discussed bilateral issues and it is a positive sign that our relations with those countries are improving at a satisfactory pace."
On Monday, the heads of five Caspian Sea littoral States agreed on the principles of cooperation and signed a political statement which according to experts paved the way for finalizing a convention on the legal regime of the land-locked and resource-rich sea in the next summit to be held in 2015 in Kazakhstan.
Agreeing on a definition of a legal regime for the land-locked sea which can receive the approval of all parties has been a major challenge since the collapse of the former Soviet Union (USSR) and the emergence of newly independent states in 1991.
Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan are the five littoral states of the Caspian Sea.
UN Speech
Rouhani further referred to his visit to New York and said the UN General Assembly this year was significant due to several factors, including the widespread emergence of terrorism worldwide.
"In my speech I tried to elaborate on the position of the Islamic Republic on the current situation in the region," he added.
The president also said he met with high-ranking officials from different countries, senior politicians, media executives, and economists in New York.
Rouhani held meetings with presidents of France, Turkey, Iraq, Venezuela, and Switzerland as well as premiers of Lebanon, and Japan.
Cameron's Comments
He said the meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron had been held upon a request by the British government and was focused on Iran’s nuclear energy program, the issues of “violence” and “instability” in the region, and Tehran-London ties.
Rouhani criticized anti-Iranian comments by Cameron at the United Nations, calling them “inappropriate and unacceptable.” In his address to the UN General Assembly last week, Cameron said Tehran and London have severe disagreements on Iran’s alleged support for terrorist organizations, its nuclear program, and its treatment of its people.
"Forward-Moving" Nuclear Talks
The president described nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) as "Forward-Moving".
Rouhani said the atmosphere of talks with the major powers in New York was considerably different indicating a serious will and firm resolve to solve Iran's nuclear issue. "It seemed that all negotiating parties were determined to find the right and peaceful resolution as they have realized such agreement with Iran is beneficial both for them and the region."
Iran and its negotiating partners -- the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany-- have been holding talks to resolve the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program. The latest round of talks was held in New York to work out a final agreement in a bid to end the longstanding nuclear dispute by a November 24 target date.
Last November, Iran and the six major powers clinched an interim nuclear accord, which took effect on January 20 and was to expire six months later. However, they agreed to extend their talks and continue implementing the interim accord until November 24 as they remained divided on a number of key issues.
