Presidents of Russia and France and German Chancellor reaffirmed their support for mutually-beneficial economic cooperation with Iran and stressed importance of preserving the Iran nuclear deal.

Iran Press/Europe: "During a phone conversation on Tuesday, Veladimir Putin, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron discussed the importance of preserving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which is a key factor in maintaining international stability and security. Russia, France and Germany reaffirmed their commitment to further mutually beneficial cooperation with Iran in trade and economy," the Kremlin said in a statement according to Sputnik.

Since the US withdrew from JCPOA last year, Washington has reinstated sanctions against Iran, targeting mainly its oil sector.   

Other signatories to the Iran nuclear deal, China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, the United Kingdom and the European Union, have slammed Washington's unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA, stressing that the reinstatement of sanctions threatens not only Iran itself but also countries and companies that continue doing business with Tehran. 

The situation in Syria

The leaders have also discussed the situation in Syria with a focus on the formation of a constitutional committee in the war-torn country.

"[The parties] thoroughly exchanged opinions about the situation in Syria, including… multiple ceasefire violations in Idlib by radical armed groups. The Russian president informed his colleagues about the joint efforts made with Turkey on stabilizing the situation in northwestern Syria, protecting civilians and neutralizing the terror threat… The parties attached special attention to formation and launch of the constitutional committee, given the agreements reached during the Istanbul quadrilateral summit [Russia, Turkey, France, Germany] held in October 2018," the statement said.

The leaders agreed to continue efforts to settle the Syrian conflict in line with the UN Security Council's resolutions.  

Russia, alongside Turkey and Iran, is a guarantor of the ceasefire in Syria. Moscow has also been assisting Damascus by supporting the struggle against terrorist groups, providing humanitarian aid to local residents, and facilitating the return of refugees.101/213

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