Russian Warships Dock at Iran’s Caspian Port
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Russian naval fleet, comprised of two warships, berthed at Iran’s northern port city of Anzali on Sunday as part of routine military interactions between Tehran and Moscow.
Russian servicemen on board the two warships, Volgodonsk and Mahachkala, entered the Iranian Navy’s fourth maritime zone in the Caspian Sea for a three-day stay.
During the port call at Anzali, the Russian naval forces are planned to hold meetings with Iran’s Navy commanders and carry out joint naval exercises with the Iranian forces.
Iranian military officials are also expected to pay a visit to the two Russian warships.
The visit is seen as part of efforts for strengthening Iran-Russia amicable ties and promoting maritime cooperation between the two countries.
It is the third time in the past 8 years that a Russian naval fleet travels to Iran’s territorial waters.
Back in October 2014, another Russian fleet, comprised of Dagestan and Grad Sviyazhsk missile-launching warships, made a three-day port call at Anzali.
Earlier, in September last year, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on the Caspian Sea littoral states to make joint efforts for the well-being of the countries’ people.
“The Caspian Sea should be the center of development and welfare, and the symbol of peace, security and cooperation among our nations,” Rouhani said in a speech to the 4th summit of the Caspian Sea littoral states, held in Russia’s Astrakhan.
The president insisted that only the five countries around the Caspian Sea should be entitled to maritime activities, rejecting the presence of armed forces from other foreign countries in the sea.
