BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- China, Russia and Iran issued a joint statement on Friday, reaffirming that political and diplomatic engagement and dialogue remains the only viable and practical option for the Iranian nuclear issue.

Relevant parties should abandon sanction, pressure or threat of force and refrain from any action that may escalate the situation, according to the statement issued after a trilateral meeting at the vice foreign minister level in Beijing.

The three countries reiterated the importance of the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the statement said.

China and Russia welcomed Iran's reiteration that its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes, and not for development of nuclear weapons, the statement read.

The statement also noted that China and Russia supported Iran in continuing cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and stressed the need to respect Iran's right to peaceful use of nuclear energy.

The Beijing meeting was a useful effort by China, Russia and Iran in seeking to advance the settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing on Friday.

She said China is calling on parties to strengthen communication to accumulate enabling conditions for talks and negotiations to resume at an early date.

China is ready to work with other parties for a just, balanced and sustainable resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue, uphold the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and promote international and regional peace and stability, Mao added. Enditem

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