Lavrov: Iran-Russia partnership pact to boost cooperation opportunities
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the signing of a new strategic agreement between Iran and Russia will create further opportunities for more cooperation between the two countries in various fields.
Lavrov in an interview with Sputnik on Sunday that the text of the “big” agreement has long been ready and agreed upon by the parties.
“The new ‘big’ agreement, the text of which has long been ready and agreed upon by the parties, is comprehensive, long-term and ‘all-weather’ in nature and in this sense does not require any adjustments,” said Lavrov.
Iranian ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali recently said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will pay a visit to Russia next month to sign an agreement on a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
“The [Iranian] president will travel to Russia on January 17, and during the trip the cooperation agreement between the two countries will be signed by Pezeshkian and [his Russian counterpart Vladimir] Putin,” he said.
The agreement is designed to legally consolidate the unprecedented progress in bilateral relations achieved by the two countries in recent years and record their entry into the level of strategic partnership, Lavrov maintained.
“Of course, such a comprehensive document also has an international component,” Lavrov added.
Among other things, he said, the agreement pays special attention to strengthening interaction in the interests of peace and security at the regional and global levels and sets forth Moscow and Tehran’s desire for closer cooperation in the areas of security, defense, the fight against terrorism and extremism, and countering many other common challenges and threats.
Lavrov also said that the leadership transition in Syria does not impact the mutual relationship between Iran and Russia.
Back in December, armed militant groups, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), took over Damascus and put an end to five decades of Assad family rule in Syria. Both Russia and Iran have been the main allies of the former government in Syria.
Since 2015, bilateral relations between Iran and Russia have expanded significantly in economic, political, and regional domains.
Both countries wish to elevate their relationship to a strategic level and open up new opportunities for cooperation.