While representatives of the G5+1 say nuclear talks between Iran and the G5+1 will be held in Istanbul on Saturday April 14, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan has refrained from confirming the news.
In a report in the Turkish media, Erdogan is quoted as saying on Sunday that Turkey has not received any official statement from Tehran or world powers that Istanbul will be the venue for the nuclear talks.
Reuters reports, however, that EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said world powers have agreed to meet in Istanbul on April 14.
“We have agreed to launch talks in Istanbul on April 14,” Ashton’s spokesman said.
"We hope that this first round will produce a conducive environment for concrete progress. We are of course aiming at a sustained process," he said.
Ashton’s recent statements come after Iranian officials resisted accepting Turkey as the venue for the talks.
Relations between Tehran and Ankara have become tense in the past week over their divergent policies regarding the uprising in Syria.
Other than Turkey, possible locations proposed for the talks have included Iraq, China, Syria and Kazakhstan.
Recent reports indicate that the world powers may call on Iran to shut down its underground nuclear facility at Fordo.
U.S. diplomats have said it would be unacceptable to let Iran continue stockpiling of uranium that has been enriched to 20-percent purity.
