Kazakhstan Renews Readiness to Host Iran-G5+1 Talks

A senior Kazakh parliamentarian once again expressed his country’s willingness to host a fresh round of negotiations between Iran and the six major world powers on Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program, Tasnim news agency reports.

Mualen Ashimbayev, chairman of the commission on international affairs, defense and security of Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, said Astana is ready to host the nuclear talks between Tehran and the G5+1 (the five Permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany), which have held several rounds of negotiations so far, including two rounds in the Kazakh city of Almaty.

He made the remarks in a Monday meeting with head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Borujerdi in Tehran.

The visiting Kazakh lawmaker also touched on the bilateral relations between Tehran and Astana, saying that the Central Asian country seeks to expand ties with Iran in all fields.

Boroujerdi, for his part, praised the close cooperation between the two nations, adding that their bilateral relations would positively affect regional and international developments.

In relevant remarks in August, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Sarybai announced that Astana was ready to host the talks between Iran and the Group 5+1.

“If necessary, we’re ready to facilitate the negotiating process,” he said.

Iran and the G5+1 countries have held several rounds of talks on Iran’s nuclear energy program, including a round of negotiations on April 6 in Almaty, where an earlier round had been held on February 26-27.

The two sides had also held two days of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear energy program in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 15-16. They are to meet again in the Swiss city on November 7-8.