No One Can Drive a Wedge Between Russia, Iran — Russian Diplomat

Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko noted that the relations are not susceptible to external influence

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko Sergey Bobylev/TASS

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko

© Sergey Bobylev/TASS

MOSCOW, July 24. /TASS/. The bilateral relations of Russia and Iran are resting on a solid foundation of friendship, so no one can drive a wedge between Moscow and Tehran, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has told TASS in an interview.

"As a sovereign nation, Iran has the right to pursue its foreign policies as it sees fit. We, on our part, assume that the relations between Russia and Iran have a solid basis of friendship and neighborliness and are not susceptible to <…> external influence, despite our adversaries’ attempts to play dirty and drive a wedge between the two nations," the deputy foreign minister said.

He reminded that senior members of the Iranian government, including those who recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, assured him "about their readiness to strengthen the entire range of diverse ties and put into practice the previous government’s mutually beneficial projects in accordance with the strategic course set by Iran’s Supreme leader."

Earlier, Rudenko told TASS that Russia and Iran had completed drafting the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership, and it will be signed in the near future.