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Russia-Iran treaty different from ones with DPRK, Belarus — diplomat

According to Kazem Jalali, the Russian-Iranian agreement includes a provision on mutual respect for the territorial integrity of the two countries

MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Moscow and Tehran is different from Russia’s treaties with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Belarus, which include provisions on collective defense, Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali said.

"The nature of this agreement is different. [In Russia-Belarus and Russia-Korea treaties,] they established cooperation in a number of areas we [in Russia-Iran treaty] did not really focus on. Our country’s independence and security, as well as reliance on our own strength, are very important. We are not interested in joining any blocs. In 45 years, we have paid a [heavy] price for the independence of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said in response to a question by the IRNA news agency.

According to the diplomat, the Russian-Iranian agreement includes a provision on mutual respect for the territorial integrity of the two countries.

The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty is intended to become a crucial milestone in the development of Russian-Iranian relations. According to officials in both countries, the agreement covers all spheres of bilateral cooperation and will open up new horizons in various areas of Russian-Iranian interaction, including defense, counter-terrorism, energy, finance, transportation, industry, agriculture, culture, science, and technology.

Currently, the two countries are guided by the provisions of the 2001 Treaty on the Basics of Relations and Principles of Cooperation between Russia and Iran. It was concluded for 10 years and was automatically extended for subsequent five-year periods. According to Kazem Jalali, the new Russian-Iranian treaty will be concluded for 20 years.

On January 14, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Russia and Iran would be signed following the presidents' talks on January 17. According to the Kremlin official, Moscow attaches great importance to the upcoming signing of the document. In turn, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the agreement was not implying the creation of a defense alliance.

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