China welcomed the proposal of Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold a summit of the leaders of the “five” of the UN Security Council. This was announced on Thursday, April 22, by Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
“The Chinese side supports the proposal to hold a summit of the leaders of the” nuclear five “- quoted by TASS diplomat.
He stressed that this initiative will strengthen coordination on key international issues, as well as contribute to anti-epidemic cooperation.
The day before, during the announcement of the annual message to the Federal Assembly, the Russian leader said that the idea of a summit of the “five” of the UN Security Council would be implemented when conditions permit. He recalled that a corresponding initiative was put forward by Moscow last year.
On April 16, Russia’s Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, announced that representatives of the joint commission of Iran and the international “five” are set to work to fully restore the implementation of the JCPOA on the Iranian nuclear program.
The informal association of the “nuclear five” includes states that have nuclear weapons: Russia, China, Great Britain, the United States and France. During the meetings of the countries, issues such as the policies of the parties, nuclear energy and disarmament are discussed.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed in 2015 as part of resolving issues regarding the lifting of sanctions on Iran in exchange for restrictions on the country’s nuclear program. In May 2018, the US government decided to withdraw from the deal and tighten sanctions pressure towards Tehran, and in 2019 Iran announced a gradual reduction in its obligations under the agreement.