Kremlin: Putin-Raisi could meet by year’s end

Asked at a news briefing on Thursday whether such a meeting could take place this year, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied, “We must certainly not exclude such a possibility.”

He added that this issue is already being weighed, but the exact date of the meeting would depend on the epidemiological situation.

Peskov noted that Tehran and Moscow share “an understanding that such a meeting is necessary and both parties express their readiness and the preparations are underway”.

“The exact date for this summit will be set via diplomatic channels taking into account the developments regarding the epidemiological situation,” he said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian stated on Wednesday, after meeting his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, that Iran hoped for a bilateral summit between Putin and Raisi, either in Moscow or Tehran, to confirm the privileged bilateral relations of strategic cooperation.

The Iranian top diplomat noted, speaking at a news conference in Moscow, that the sides agreed to start discussing the strategic partnership document in the near future and Tehran was ready to provide its suggestions in writing.

“It will be a new roadmap of our long-term bilateral cooperation,” he continued.