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Top Russian, Iranian diplomats discuss work on strategic partnership treaty

The sides also discussed the ongoing construction project to build the Rasht-Astara railway in Iran

DUBAI, January 9. /TASS/. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian held a phone talk with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to discuss the process of drafting a bilateral treaty on strategic partnership.

According to a statement released by the Islamic Republic’s foreign ministry, the two diplomats addressed "certain bilateral matters, including the transit of goods and the work on a treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership."

The sides also discussed the ongoing construction project to build the Rasht-Astara railway in Iran.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov and Abdollahian talked by phone to exchange opinions on regional and global matters, including the situation in and around the Gaza Strip, as well as in the Red Sea. The Russian foreign minister also extended his condolences over the deadly terror attack in Iranian city of Kerman.

On October 23, 2023, Lavrov said the Russian-Iranian treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership was approximately 85% ready. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, "this fundamental interstate document could be signed during one of the upcoming high-level contacts.".

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