On February 27, Iran's mission to the United Nations issued the following statement on the Almaty talks.
In the name of God,
In Moscow, the Islamic Republic of Iran presented a comprehensive proposal for the talks. The proposal included five pillars for cooperation and set principals and objectives for the talks. They [world’s six major powers] were supposed to consider and review the plan and provide [a] response to Iran.
Yesterday the other side, in response to Iran, offered some suggestions that include some of the items proposed by Iran in Moscow. Some of the points raised in their response were more realistic compared to what they said in the past, and they tried to bring proximity in some points between the viewpoints of Iran and their own, which we believe is positive, despite the fact that we have a long way to reach to the optimum point.
The P5+1 suggested tangible steps for the next six months in order to build confidence, and some suggestions were offered in this regard. The Islamic Republic of Iran stressed the steps [need] to be balanced and simultaneous and that [the] suggestions should not neglect Iran’s rights. Therefore it was agreed to convene the expert meeting in Istanbul on March 18, which would be followed by the 5+1 meeting with Iran on April 5 and 6 in Almaty.
We consider these talks a positive step which could be completed by taking a positive and constructive approach and taking reciprocal steps.