Iran FM Departs Tehran for Russian City of Sochi
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif departed Tehran for the Russian city of Sochi on Wednesday morning.
It is expected that Iranian foreign minister discuss mutual ties and regional developments with the Russian officials.
Media reports said that Zarif is in a mission to convey a letter from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meantime, the Russian TASS News Agency reported that the situation in the Middle East, Syria in particular, will be in focus of Zarif’s talks in Russia on September 13.
"The talks will center round everything that concerns the Middle East, Syria, the situation in the region in general. We have close contacts with the Iranians, on-going consultations on all issues, including concerning the situation in Iraq, in the Persian Gulf, on counter-terrorism efforts," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Tuesday.
Iran and Russia have formed a strong alliance in recent years, with both supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s legitimate government against foreign-backed militancy.
Moreover, since coming into force in January 2016 of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear deal between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany), Tehran and Moscow have ramped up efforts to boost bilateral trade.