TEHRAN — Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday discussed bilateral relations, the nuclear talks in Vienna and international developments over the phone.

Amir Abdollahian conveyed the greetings of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Chinese President Xi Jinping, and in response to the invitation of the Chinese foreign minister, announced his readiness to visit Beijing in the near future.

Amir Abdollahian also thanked and appreciated the Chinese government’s support during the nuclear talks in Vienna, describing the talks as good in general. He however criticized lack of initiative on the part of the Western parties in Vienna.

He expressed hope that the Western parties would act on the basis of logic and, like Iran, participate in the negotiations in good faith and with initiatives.

In the telephone conversation, Iran’s foreign minister censured the U.S. government and some Western countries over their move to diplomatically boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics. 

Amir Abdollahian expressed confidence that this sporting event will be held in a good and successful way, announcing the presence of senior sports officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran along with the caravan of Iranian athletes in this important event. 

Wang praises Iran’s approach toward the Vienna negotiations 

The Chinese foreign minister, for his part, conveyed the warm greetings of Xi to Raisi. He described the relations between the two countries as “strategic” and announced the Chinese government’s determination to expand and deepen relations.

He supported the positions of Iran, stressing the need for convergence and cooperation with other developing countries against unilateralism on the part of certain Western countries, particularly the United States.

Wang also described the forthcoming visit of the Iranian foreign minister to China as an opportunity to advance the common goals of the two countries.

The Chinese foreign minister reaffirmed his country’s support for Iran in the fight against Covid-19 until the eradication of the disease.

Wang also thanked Iran for its stance on the West's action in connection with the Beijing Winter Olympics and expressed hope that China, as the host of the games, will hold the event with the participation of Iranian teams as magnificently as possible.

Regarding the nuclear talks in Vienna, the top Chinese diplomat supported Iran's approach toward the negotiations given the positive actions and initiatives as well as good faith of the Islamic Republic. 

Wang described the positive efforts of the Iranian side in the negotiation process as facilitating. The Chinese foreign minister also praised Iran's efforts to negotiate with some regional countries to clear up misunderstandings in the region, calling it a factor in stabilizing the region.

In the end, Iran’s foreign minister described actions such as the AUKUS treaty (between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom) as a sign of a severe weakening of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) through the application of double standards. He added this approach will probably provoke similar actions. The two foreign ministers stressed the need for continued talks and close consultations between Tehran and Beijing on bilateral issues as well as issues of common interest in the international arena.