At a meeting with visiting Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Losyukov, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi expressed his country’s satisfaction with the status quo of the Iranian-Russian relations.
Quoted by Iran’s news agency (IRNA) on Monday, Kharrazi said the two countries have an extensive potential for the expansion of bilateral, regional and international cooperation.
He welcomed Russia's presence in the Middle East and pointed out that the cooperation of the two countries in the Caspian Sea and the Middle East was yielding good results. He expressed hope that the forthcoming visit of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami to Moscow would give a new impetus to Russian-Iranian relations.
For his part, Losyukov said that Russia was willing to develop relations with Iran in all the spheres. He believes the visit of the Iranian president to Russia will open up a new period in bilateral relations of the two countries.
In December last year, Russia announced a "new chapter" in its military relations with Iran in a move that annoyed Washington after Moscow's decision to resume weapons sales to Tehran.
Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev announced the two nations would "develop their military cooperation in all fields," after holding three days of talks in the first Tehran visit by a Moscow defense chief in more than 20 years.
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said then that Moscow's decision was "a sign of courage and Russian independence and a decision based on its own interests.” – Albawaba.com
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