Iranian, Russian deputy FMs hold bilateral talks in Geneva

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Ryabkov met on the sidelines of the talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) in Geneva. During the meeting in the Swiss city on Wednesday, Araqchi and Ryabkov expressed the hope that Iran and the Group 5+1 would reach an agreement in the current round of talks in Geneva. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (who presides over the delegations of the six world powers in the talks with Iran) in Geneva on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments before the start of the high-profile Iran-G5+1 talks. Ashton chaired a meeting of the E3/EU+3 Political Directors ahead of her bilateral meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister. On November 7-9, Iran and the major world powers held three days of intense discussions in the Swiss city of Geneva. The two sides did not reach an agreement but stressed that significant progress had been made and expressed optimism about the prospects of a possible deal in the future. The next round of the talks between Iran and the six countries is slated to open today in the Swiss city.