Discussions on Iran, Venezuela and Syria .. Lavrov to Pompeo: It is time for understanding and confidence-building

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart, Mike Pompeo, agreed on the need to improve relations and end tension. The latter stressed that his country was not seeking a war with Iran, while Lavrov said it was time to build a new paradigm of understanding.

At a joint press conference in Sochi on Tuesday, Lavrov said he had "frank and helpful" talks with Pompeo on bilateral relations and the situation in Venezuela and discussed the "joint action plan on Iran" in reference to the nuclear deal between Iran and the major powers.

Lavrov said the Russian-US anti-terrorism working group was a good but insufficient step. "We want to renew dialogue with the US side on disarmament issues," Lavrov said.

Lavrov said calls by opposition leader Juan Guido for foreign intervention in Venezuela had nothing to do with democracy.

He said the Kremlin would welcome any official request from Washington for a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in response to a previous announcement by Trump that he expected Putin to meet in Osaka.

In another case, the Russian foreign minister described the accusations that Trump colluded with Moscow in his campaign as "illusions."

For his part, Pompeo said that the talks today are a good step towards improving relations between the two countries, and expressed the hope that the dialogue on Venezuela will continue and that Moscow will stop supporting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

"If Russia interferes, it will further deteriorate our relations," Pompeo warned Russians from intervening in next year's US presidential election. He called on Russia to acknowledge that "such actions have become a thing of the past."

Pompeo said that perhaps America and Russia would need to involve China in the issue of arms control, and stressed that his country would continue to pressure Iran.

He added that his country was not seeking to wage war against Iran, but would respond appropriately if its interests were attacked.

The US secretary of state also called on Russia to stop interfering in his country's internal affairs, saying sanctions against Moscow for Ukraine would remain.

He added that the talks also covered the issues of terrorism and Afghanistan, and they discussed the situation in the Syrian province of Idlib, which is subjected to violent attacks from the regime and Russia.

Talks
At the start of the two ministers' talks, Pompeiro announced that President Donald Trump is committed to improving the common relations between the two countries and is seeking ways to cooperate with Russia.

"We are not adversaries in all cases," Pompeo said, recalling a personal experience in counterterrorism work with Russia that succeeded in "saving the lives of Americans and Russians."

Lavrov said Moscow and Washington face problems that require urgent measures and long-term solutions, including strategic security and crisis resolution issues, and that his country is ready to open a new chapter in tense relations over a number of issues, including disarmament and Iran.

"I think it is time to start building a new model of mutual understanding that is responsible and constructive ... This mistrust hampers our security and security."

Pompeo arrived in Sochi earlier in the day to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his counterpart Lavrov. Before his arrival, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Piskov said that Moscow does not understand the policy of maximum pressure, which leads to the cornering of Iran, pointing out that the pressure on Tehran never achieve results History appears, as he put it.

The Sino-US trade war has negative consequences for the global economic environment, he said, adding that Washington and China might launch the war. But this is not Russia's war and his country is interested in building independent relations with China and the United States.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran prevent the removal of enriched uranium and heavy water, which hinders implementation of the terms of the joint work plan.

Russia's director of non-proliferation and arms control Vladimir Pramakov said it was ironic that the Americans had made the production of enriched uranium and heavy water from Iran impossible, so Tehran would store them "and the mistake is entirely on Washington."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said before the start of the talks that it appeared "difficult" on the Venezuela issue, as both countries adopted "opposite sides" positions.