EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton gave the assurance in a telephone conversation with Zarif during his visit to the Persian Gulf state of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Zarif.

Ashton expressed optimism that both sides to the Geneva agreement would be able to move the process forward, Zarif said on Wednesday at Dubai airport just before his return to Tehran.

Speaking to reporters, Zarif also talked about his UAE visit, describing it as “very good” and reiterated that the expansion of ties with regional countries remains the top priority of Iran’s foreign policy.

During his UAE visit, Zarif met and held talks with top Emirati officials. He also extended invitations by Iranian president and vice president to their Emirati counterparts to visit Iran.

The top Iranian diplomat also pointed to his formal visits to four regional states this week and stated that his aim was to discuss with Iran’s southern neighbors “problems, opportunities and realities that have brought us together in the region.”

He added that he intended to open a new chapter in terms of Iran’s ties with these states and felt that they, likewise, held a similar belief, Press TV informs.

At a very brief joint press conference held by Ashton and Zarif following the end of talks, Ashton said a lot of progress had been achieved but differences still remain. She announced talks would resume in Geneva on November 20th.

Zarif said he hoped an agreement would be reached in the next round, and said it is natural that when dealing with the details, “there will be differences.”

Just past 2 A.M. local time in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also gave a short press conference. He reiterated the goal of the Obama administration to prevent a nuclear Iran, and said that differences were significantly narrowed.

According to Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi, the meeting among Zarif, Kerry and Ashton aims to make the three sides approve of the text of a document that charts an agreement to move towards progress in talks and materialization of the common objectives.

Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State John Kerry stated upon his arrival in the Swiss city of Geneva that no agreement has yet been reached on Iran’s nuclear program, and added that negotiators are trying to narrow the differences.

“I am delighted to be here at the invitation of Catherine Ashton to try to work with colleagues to see if we can narrow some differences… There are still some things on the table that are unresolved. I want to emphasize there is not an agreement at this point,” Kerry said on Friday evening on his arrival in Geneva, which hosts a series of tight nuclear negotiations between Tehran and the six major world powers.

The ongoing talks between Iran and the G5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain, France as well as Germany) over Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program kicked off in Geneva on Thursday, November 7.

The negotiations are aimed at bringing the West’s standoff over the Islamic Republic’s peaceful nuclear program to an end.

“(We) hope to try to narrow the differences but no-one should mistake that there are important gaps to be closed,” John Kerry pointed out, Tasnim news agency informs.