Iran envoy: President Raisi Russia visit turning point in mutual ties

Kazem Jalali added that no long-term pact or agreement for comprehensive cooperation is planned to be signed during the visit.

“The reason is that a draft agreement has been prepared by the Islamic Republic of Iran and it, naturally, requires the Russian side to also express its viewpoints on the draft, and this will take time,” he said.

“Expansion of ties with neighboring countries is a primary principle of the foreign policy of the new administration and Russia, as our large neighbor and the power bordering Iran on the north, is one of the countries with great potential for this purpose.”

Jalali further explained that Raisi’s meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will cover mutual, regional and international developments.

The envoy added that Iran and Russia first signed a 20-year cooperation agreement in 2001, which would have expired in 2021. He said, however, that the agreement contains a mechanism that allows its automatic extension for another five years if both sides agree to do so.

Jalali noted that the draft Iran has prepared is based on consensus among top officials of the two countries to update the 20-year agreement, before its extension. He said the updates documents will then require the approval of Iranian and Russian parliaments to come into force.