"Certain progress" was made during talks held in Istanbul yesterday regarding Iran's nuclear program, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said on Thursday.

Liu said experts from the United States, Russia, Britain, France, Germany, China and Iran made their respective positions more explicit at the meeting.

"The countries discussed Iran's nuclear program earnestly and made certain progress," Liu said.

"However, it is not unusual to see that a great deal of disagreement still remains, considering the complexity of the issue," he said.

Liu said China hopes all sides will continue to carry out negotiations in a pragmatic manner and seek a comprehensive and long-term solution to the issue, he said.