Tehran, Moscow Must Boost Ties Amid US Provocative Moves in Region: President Rouhani

In a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said fortunately, there have been close and strategic relations between Iran and Russia in recent years, but it is necessary to expand the bilateral relations and promote cooperation in trade, economy, science and medicine.

President Rouhani referred to the US’ move to impose “cruel and illegal sanctions” on Iran in the current difficult conditions and put pressure on the International Monetary Fund for blocking a loan for Iran, and noted, “Today, all countries of the world are facing tough times, and the friendly countries should further cooperate.”

Highlighting the need to exchange experiences between Iran and Russia in the fight against the coronavirus, the President said officials in the two countries must work to conduct trade in accordance with the health protocols.

Iran’s president also expressed hope that all states would be able to work together to get rid of the virus in the near future.

Elsewhere in the conversation, President Rouhani touched upon the need to promote cooperation on regional issues and problems, and to continue consultations between Iran, Russia and Turkey within the framework of the Astana process on Syria.

The presidents of Iran and Russia also stressed that the ties between the two sides are strategic, adding that Tehran and Moscow need to work for the development, strengthening and consolidation of relations in all fields as well as accelerating the implementation of the previous agreements.

In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to the outbreak of coronavirus in most countries of the world, and stressed the importance of joint efforts, cooperation, and the exchange of experiences between the two countries to overcome the disease. He also highlighted the need to speed up the implementation of Tehran-Moscow agreements.

“Fortunately, good projects are underway, and the officials of the two countries are working to expedite the implementation of the agreements,” he added.

Speaking about the US sanctions against Iran, President Putin called them a “violation of human rights”, saying, “Unfortunately, they talk a lot about human rights in the West, but in practice they behave differently.”

The Russian president also touched upon the importance of continuation of Iran-Russia consultations on the regional and international issues, including the Astana process and holding trilateral talks with Turkey in this regard.

* The article has been updated by adding quotation marks to the sentences where the officials had been directly quoted.