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Rouhani’s win at Iran’s presidential election positive for Russia - senator

According to Kosachev, Rouhani is able to reach agreements and is focused on it

MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. Chairman of the Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Committee for Foreign Affairs Konstantin Kosachev considers the re-election of the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to be positive both for the country, for the whole world, and particularly for Russia.

"I think this is a good sign both for the country and for the outer world. (Iranian) people have supported the course of the present leader, which is quite a moderately liberal course taking into account the Iranian reality," Kosachev said Saturday, adding that this time Rouhani has received even more votes than in 2013 when 51% of voters cast their ballots in his favor.

"President has been given a free hand in the external policy as well. It is in his presence that the agreement with the six-nation group of international middlemen on the Iranian nuclear program was reached in 2015, and it is in his presence that the Astana format of cooperation between Russia, Iran and Turkey on the Syrian issue emerged," Russia’s senator said.

According to Kosachev, Rouhani is able to reach agreements and is focused on it. "This is a positive signal for the whole unstable region, and I think for Russia as well," he said, adding that the two countries "have been able to find common ground fairly well, and will do so in the future."

The incumbent President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, has won Friday's presidential election, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli announced earlier on Saturday. According to the Minister, 23.549 mln voters (57% of those who participated in the vote) cast their ballots in favor of Rouhani. His closest contender, conservative candidate, former Prosecutor General Embrahim Raisi, received 15.786 votes (38.5%). Another 478,000 voters supported former Culture Minister Seyed Mostafa Agha Mirsalim, while former Industry Minister Mostafa Hashemitaba got 215,000 votes. To win in the first round of voting, a candidate is supposed to get more than 50% votes.

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