VIENNA (Sputnik) — The P5+1 international mediators have not yet found a common ground on the issue of arms embargo imposed on Iran, but Russia will insist on lifting the ban as on of the the first steps in sanctions relief, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Thursday.
On Tuesday, the US delegation headed by US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in the Russian resort city of Sochi to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other senior officials.
"I hope to continue similar discussions with our US colleagues tomorrow," Ryabkov told reporters in Vienna before joining the next round of nuclear talks.
“Now we have confidence that in few days we will come closer to the result.”
"We have not found common ground on the issue of weapons embargo yet. But we will insist that canceling this embargo should be one of the first measures [of sanctions relief]," Ryabkov told reporters.
Speaking of Iran sanctions in general, Ryabkov stressed that the participants of the negotiations were "half-way" from resolving the issue.
"There is certain framework, and there is general agreement. We are just working on the undertones," the diplomat said.
Russia is less worried now about not reaching a final agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue before the set deadline of June 30, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said.
“Right now we are not that worried about not meeting the deadline and that there will be some sort of a political crisis because we cannot reach an agreement. Strictly speaking, everything agreed upon in Lausanne would be included in the future deal.”
On Tuesday, another round of Iran nuclear talks kicked off in Vienna.
Ryabkov said that some outstanding issues still remain, but there is “nothing unexpected or dramatic” in this.
