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Military drills

Iran ready to participate in joint military drills with Russia if offer made

A group of Iranian navy ships arrived in Astrakhan in south Russia on a friendly visit on Wednesday

© ITAR-TASS/Dmitriy Rogulin

ASTRAKHAN, October 21. /TASS/. Naval drills between Iran and Russia are useful to exchange experience and the Islamic Republic is ready to take part in military exercises again if an offer is received, an Iranian naval group commander said on Wednesday.

A group of Iranian navy ships arrived in Astrakhan in south Russia on a friendly visit on Wednesday.

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The regional authorities are also expected to organize a tour of Astrakhan for the Iranian sailors.

The Iranian naval ships are paying a friendly visit planned under a program of developing and strengthening international cooperation.

It was earlier reported that the frigate Damavand and the missile-carrying boats Joshan and Paykan had departed for Astrakhan from the city of Bandar-e Anzali. Iranian Squadron Commander Ahmad Reza Bakeri said in an interview with Fars news agency that the visit had been planned before.

After Astrakhan, the Iranian squadron will go to Baku on a friendly visit.

Mutual visits by Russian and Iranian ships to Caspian ports have become regular in the past two years.

Specifically, Iranian naval ships visited the Caspian Flotilla in the summer of 2013, calling at Astrakhan. The Iranian squadron comprised the missile boats Peikan and Jushan.

In the autumn of 2014, the Russian escort ship Dagestan and the small missile ship Grad Sviyazhsk paid a friendly visit to Bandar-e Anzali.

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