MOSCOW – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araguchi visited Moscow for two days on Thursday, with the main purpose of delivering letters from leaders of the Islamic Revolution to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On the sidelines at a ceremony marking Army Day in Iran, Araguchi explained to reporters about his previous meeting with Putin.
The diplomat emphasized the importance of the leader’s letters. It covers a variety of topics including ongoing cooperation between the two countries and looming regional issues. He said after reading the letter to Putin he provided further explanations and engaged in a detailed discussion of the two countries’ joint work.
Iran’s Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of addressing international developments, particularly the indirect negotiations currently taking place between Iran and the United States. He said, “We receive contradictory and contradictory messages from the United States. From our perspective, it is important that it is expressed in the negotiation table.”
Araguchi reiterated Iran’s commitment to serious negotiations, claiming that the state’s position is clear and unchanged. “We’re totally serious about these negotiations,” he said.
Araguchi has also confirmed that he will take part in the second round of indirect negotiations scheduled for Saturday. He revealed that while Rome serves as a place for these consultations, Oman remains a host country that promotes communication between Iran and the United States.
He said several countries, including Russia, offered to mediate consultations, but Iran would move along with Oman during the foreseeable future.
At a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday, Araguc welcomed the strategic cooperation agreement signed by the two countries in January and ratified by the Russian parliament as a game-changing agreement.
“We recently signed a comprehensive strategic agreement in Moscow, which has expanded the dimension of relationships to a much higher level,” he said, adding, “This agreement forms the basis of our new relationships, but most importantly, it provides a long-term perspective on these relationships.”
Iranian officials also said that Tehran and Moscow’s relationship has never been “in history or history as strong as it is today.”
“The speed of political debate between the two countries is unprecedented,” Lavrov said. He added that the strategic agreement between Iran and Russia will further lead to a “qualitative increase in interaction.”
At a press conference held after the two foreign ministers’ meeting, Araguchi said that some of the discussions also focused on the content of the talks with Iran, which was indirect.
“There was a detailed discussion on nuclear issues and negotiations with the US. We are very pleased with Russia’s role in the JCPOA agreement, and they have played a very useful and important role in the past.
“We will continue to maintain our friends to Russia, and of course China will inform us about development. We are confident that constructive opinions will help us continue this path,” he explained.
Lavrov affirmed Araghchi’s statement, saying that both sides also spoke about the North and South Corridors, the Ukrainian War, the war in Gaza, and bilateral cooperation in multilateral environments such as BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Putin responds through the Diplomatic Exchange: Kremlin
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed on Thursday that Russian President Putin had conveyed an important message to Islamic revolution leader Ayatollah Khamenei through a meeting with Foreign Minister Araguchi.
According to the spokesman, the message was not only a good-willed gesture, but also a principled response to the recent developments of bilateral relations.