Iran Press /Europe: Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the depth of cooperation between Russia and Iran in various fields, including combating terrorism and regional stability issues.
Speaking about bilateral relations, the Russian President, in a meeting with President Hassan Rouhani in Bishkek on Friday, stressed that they are wide ranging, and include economic and commercial ties, regional stability issues and our joint effort in the fight against terrorism, including in Syria.
According to Iran Press, President Putin hailed the results achieved in the field of combating terrorism and the process of settling the crisis in Syria, considering that the guarantor states of Astana Process have managed to do a lot regarding that. He highlighted Russia-Iran economic relations which are flourishing and developing in many areas.
“The humanitarian ties have always been rather tight, and the mutual interest in the Russian world, on the one hand, and the Persian culture, on the other hand, have always been an important part of our dialogue,” Putin added.
Rouhani, in turn, said that the situation in the Middle East requires greater cooperation between Russia and Iran, adding that “under current conditions, serious external influences and imposed external sanctions, the need for interaction between countries of the region, especially between our two countries, becomes more urgent.”
Earlier, Iran's Rouhani had met Chinese President Xi Jinping who had said Beijing will continue to cement ties with Tehran even when the situation changes.
President Rouhani also met with his Afghan counterpart, President Ashraf Ghani, on the sidelines of the Bishkek summit.
The two presidents discussed bilateral ties as well as the latest regional and international developments.
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Furthermore, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also described Friday's meetings between President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian and Chinese counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, as 'fruitful'. “With Pres. @HassanRouhani at #SCO in Kyrgyzstan. Important multilateral dialogue + fruitful bilateral talks incl. w/ President Xi & President Putin,” Zarif said on his official Twitter account on Friday.
He further deplored the US sanctions against Iran and wrote, “Unilateral US actions—incl. its #EconomicTerrorism on Iran—are solely responsible for insecurity & renewed tension in our region.” President Rouhani held separate meetings with Putin and Xi on the sidelines of the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Kyrgyzstan on Friday.
The summit was held on June 13-14 with leaders of 11 countries, including Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan and Iran in attendance. Speaking to reporters before leaving Tehran for Bishkek president Rouhani had said that the important conference would discuss regional security issues.
The SCO is an intergovernmental organization which was founded for multilateral political, economic and security cooperation. China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and India are major members while, Iran, Mongolia, Afghanistan, and Belarus serve as observers.
President Rouhani will leave Bishkek for Dushanbe on the second leg of his trip to attend the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). CICA is an inter-governmental forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security, and stability in Asia. 203/211
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