Putin to meet with Iranian president – Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian this week to discuss prospects for further expansion of bilateral cooperation, according to the Kremlin. The sides are expected to sign a strategic partnership agreement during the talks.
Pezeshkian will visit Moscow on January 17, according to a statement issued by the Kremlin on Telegram on Monday.
It is planned that the two leaders will discuss a wide range of important issues, including trade and investment, transport and logistics, and humanitarian matters.
They will also talk about current regional and international events, according to the Kremlin. After the meeting, the presidents will sign the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between Russia and Iran and will then meet with media to provide statements.
Pezeshkian last traveled to Russia in October to attend the BRICS Summit in Kazan. The Kremlin said at the time that relations between Iran and Russia were “on the rise,” and that they would reach the level of a “comprehensive strategic partnership.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated at the end of October that a treaty setting out this partnership was being prepared, and that it would enable “closer cooperation in the field of defense” between Moscow and Tehran.
The two countries have been working on the agreement since 2022. In July, the deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Andrey Rudenko, told TASS that the Russian side had completed the approval of the document. According to reports, the signing was initially planned for the Kazan Summit, but the leaders of the two countries later decided to finalize it during one of their bilateral visits.
