Iran-Russia Ties Pave Way for Regional Security: Rouhani
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hailed the strengthening of ties between Tehran and Moscow, stressing that such improved relations would usher in prevailing security across the region.
“Not only is Russia a neighbor with a long-standing history of relations with Iran, but also the expansion of cooperation and partnership between the two countries will certainly pave the ground for creation of a secure region,” President Rouhani said in a Wednesday meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in China.
The bilateral meeting was held on the sidelines of the fourth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), now underway in China’s Shanghai.
President Rouhani and Russia’s president had held meeting in September 2013 during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Elsewhere in his comment, the Iranian president said the world has witnessed numerous upheavals since his most recent meeting with Putin, arguing that Tehran-Moscow ties have become increasingly “warmer and more cordial” despite those developments.
“Enhancement of ties between Iran and Russia not only benefit the both countries and nations, but the entire regional nations will also benefit from those relations,” he added.
Putin, for his part, described his country and Iran as “old neighbors and reliable partners”, explaining that Tehran and Moscow have been adopting identical stances even in the critical conditions in the world.
He also underscored that Iran and Russia “have a great responsibility to maintain stability, security and development throughout the Caspian region.”
Rouhani and Putin are among 11 heads of state and 10 chiefs of international organizations who have attended the two-day summit, including Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Established in 1992, CICA is a forum for dialogue and confidence building and now has 24 member countries and 13 observers.
