TEHRAN – Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have stressed the need to preserve the Iran nuclear deal, less than a month after the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who has promised to join the deal.

The two leaders made the remarks during a phone conversation on Tuesday.

“Regarding the situation around Iran’s nuclear program, both sides stated the demand for collective efforts directed at preservation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” the Kremlin press service said on Tuesday, TASS reported.

The future of the JCPOA came into question after the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal on May 8, 2018 and introduced oil export sanctions on Iran.

Putin and Macron also discussed the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh in detail and confirmed their mutual readiness to continue the coordination on various aspects of the peaceful settlement.

“The Russian President underscored that the situation in the region stabilizes itself, and the November 9 agreements, achieved by the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia - are generally being complied with. The sides noted a successful work of the Russian peacekeepers, who ensure the ceasefire and the safety of civilians under the request of Baku and Yerevan. The sides confirmed mutual readiness for further coordination on various aspects of the settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh, within the OSCE Minsk Group in particular," the press service said.

Humanitarian problems, connected to repatriation of refugees, restoration of infrastructure, preservation of religious and cultural memorials were named as the most pressing issues.

“The current situation in Syria and Libya was discussed. Regarding Libya, the importance of observance of a ceasefire regime and promotion of the effective political process with the participation of representatives of all key Libyan forces was noted,” the statement added.

MH/PA