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Moscow intends to further develop relations with Tehran

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif will visit Moscow January 16 to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (R) and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov (L) EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (R) and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov (L)

© EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

MOSCOW, January 15. /ITAR-TASS/. Moscow intends to further develop mutually beneficial relations with Tehran, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday in the run-up to Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif’s visit to Moscow on January 16. He will hold talks with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“Russian-Iranian relations have been actively developing recently,” the ministry said. “The political dialogue has become more dynamic, economic contacts have intensified.” “We intend to further expand mutually beneficial ties with Iran, continue interaction in the interests of regional stability and international security,” the Russian Foreign Ministry continued. “Our relations are based on the principles of friendship and good neighborliness and are not affected by the political situation. We hope to strengthen positive trends in all spheres of Russian-Iranian co-operation.”

Russia and Iran “are capable of uniting their considerable potentials that may be effectively used for the development of the two states.” “In addition, interaction of the two countries can positively affect the general situation in the Middle East region and create additional conditions for stability,” the ministry said.

Russian-Iranian cooperation, it added, can give an additional impetus to the fulfillment of the tasks of the Caspian littoral states. “We hope for success of the Caspian summit in Astrakhan in autumn 2014, including the signing of important documents,” the Foreign Ministry said.

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