TEHRAN – Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a joint statement on Sunday in which the two sides “reaffirmed the spirit of cooperation and mutual trust”.

The statement followed after IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and Mohammad Eslami, the new chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), held talks in Tehran on Sunday morning.

In the statement the sides empathized the need to address “the relevant issues in a constructive atmosphere and exclusively in a technical manner.”

The meeting took place one day before the IAEA Board of Governors meet in Vienna. The Iran nuclear program is one of the issues on the agenda of the board.

Following is the text of the statement posted on the IAEA website:

1. In this meeting the parties recalled and reaffirmed the spirit of cooperation and mutual trust and its continuation and emphasized on the necessity of addressing the relevant issues in a constructive atmosphere and exclusively in a technical manner.

2. In the framework of the existing cooperation, the two sides decided to maintain their mutual interactions and meetings at relevant levels. To this end, the Vice-President and the Head of AEOI will meet the IAEA Director General at the sidelines of the upcoming General Conference, and the IAEA Director General will also visit Tehran in the near future to hold high level consultations with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the aim of enhancing cooperation between Iran and the IAEA in different fields and discussing current issues of mutual interest.

3. IAEA's inspectors are permitted to service the identified equipment and replace their storage media which will be kept under the joint IAEA and AEOI seals in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The way and the timing are agreed by the two sides.