China, Russia and Iran emphasized the need to terminate all unlawful unilateral sanctions on Friday as their diplomats met in Beijing for discussions on the Iranian nuclear issue.

They also stressed that relevant parties should focus on addressing the root cause of the current situation and abandon sanction pressure or the threat of force, according to a joint statement issued after talks between Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov Sergey Alexeevich and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.

The three countries reiterated that political and diplomatic engagement, as well as dialogue based on the principle of mutual respect, remains the only viable and practical option.

They stressed the importance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, including its time frames, and called on relevant parties to avoid actions that could escalate tensions, aiming to create a favorable atmosphere and conditions for diplomatic efforts.

Full text: Joint Statement of the Beijing Meeting between China, Russia and Iran