Iran Press/ Europe: According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrov and EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell spoke by telephone on Tuesday evening about some important issues, including the JCPOA, sanctions, the Ukraine issue, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Lavrov then gave a briefing on the one-and-a-half-hour telephone conversation.
Discussion over US' anti-JCPOA policies
"In a telephone conversation with Borrel, we discussed in detail the situation around Iran's nuclear program," Lavrov said.
He added: "We emphasize the commitment of Russia and the European Union to ensure the strength and comprehensive implementation of the UN Security Council.
Lavrov went on to say: "We have exchanged views on the complex processes that are currently taking place within the framework of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna and in New York, in which our American partners are trying to make decisions and solutions that are fundamentally at odds with the agreements reached in JCPOA and approved by Security Council Resolution 2231.
The meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors began on Monday 15 June as a webinar and will continue till Wednesday.
Sanctions on countries affected by Corona should be lifted
Asked if he had discussed the sanctions with Borrell, Lavrov said: "We will not talk to those who have imposed sanctions on this issue."
He added: "This has been their initiative and they need to determine how effective the sanctions have been."
"We have discussed with Borrell the need to lift sanctions on countries that have been hit hardest by the Corona disaster," Russian Foreign Minister said.
Lavrov noted that in the period of the Corona outbreak, maintaining unilateral, illegal sanctions seems inhuman.
"We mean unilateral Western sanctions, first and foremost by the United States against Iran, Venezuela, Syria and North Korea."
"We did not ask Borrell to lift sanctions on Russia," Lavrov said. We can deal with this problem ourselves.
Russia wants the start of talks between the two Koreas
In response to another question about the explosion of the joint communication office between the two Koreas, Lavrov said that Russia is directly neighboring the Korean Peninsula.
He added: "For this reason, as well as the historical ties with the Korean people, we are interested in maintaining and consolidating peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."
According to these principles, we demand the development of talks between two Koreas to normalize relations between them and to resolve all issues peacefully through diplomatic means.
The Russian foreign minister stressed the need for the two leaders to restrain themselves, saying that Russia is trying to encourage both sides to make contacts and reach an agreement.
Yonhap News Agency claimed that North Korea blew up a joint Korean interconnection office in the border town of Kaesong on Tuesday evening local time.
The blast struck shortly after 2:39 p.m. Tuesday, Earlier, some South Korean media, and military sources reported that a loud explosion was heard on the border between the two Koreas.
The blast came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo-Jung, warned of military action against South Korea.212/104
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