Lavrov Arrives in Tehran for Working Visit

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the top diplomats of Russia and Iran are expected to thoroughly discuss the agenda of bilateral relations, which have officially reached the level of comprehensive strategic partnership

© Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service/TASS

TEHRAN, February 25. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in Iran for a working visit. His plane landed at Tehran’s airport, a TASS correspondent reported.

Earlier, the top Russian diplomat traveled to Turkey, where he held talks with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan and was also received by the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the top diplomats of Russia and Iran are expected to thoroughly discuss the agenda of bilateral relations, which have officially reached the level of comprehensive strategic partnership. "A special focus will be on further efforts to boost mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation with regard to the implementation of key joint projects in the fields of energy and transport," the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed.

In addition, the parties will exchange views on a number of pressing international issues, including the situation in Syria, the South Caucasus, Afghanistan, Yemen, and the Persian Gulf area, as well as on the Middle East crisis, issues related to the Caspian Sea and the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for Iran’s nuclear program.

Lavrov last visited Tehran in October 2023 to take part in a ministerial meeting of the 3+3 platform on the South Caucasus.

Cooperation based on equality

The Russian Foreign Ministry points out that political dialogue between Moscow and Tehran is based on the fact that the two countries have similar or coinciding positions on most regional and global issues.

Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Moscow places great importance on strengthening friendly and good-neighborly relations with Iran. "These relations are based on the principles of equality, respect, consideration for each other's interests, mutual assistance and support, which are consistently translated into tangible steps," Putin stated at a press conference following talks with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in January. "Our multifaceted bilateral partnership has been steadily expanding year after year," he added.

Pezeshkian, in turn, stressed that Russia plays a key role for Iran based on Tehran’s policy of good-neighborliness. "I can say that in past years, we have seen a significant increase in delegation exchanges between our countries, and this process continues, for which we are very grateful to our colleagues in Russia," he said at the same press conference.

Russia and Iran signed the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation o the same day, January 17.