The Iranian foreign minister and his entourage held a meeting with Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky in Moscow on Tuesday.
The meeting, also attended by several Duma members and their advisers, revolved around Iran-Russia relations as well as the perspectives of the two countries on current trends in international relations.
Araqchi stated that holding such a meeting at the Russian State Duma provided a valuable opportunity to exchange views on ways to expand bilateral relations and on the role of the two parliaments in facilitating bilateral ties.
Referring to ongoing contacts between various parliamentary committees of Iran’s Parliament and the Russian State Duma, he expressed hope that parliamentary diplomacy between the two countries would grow in parallel with the expansion of cooperation in other fields.
The Iranian foreign minister also said the relations with Russia are based on a strategic partnership, serve the mutual interests of the two nations, and contribute to regional and international peace and security.
Araqchi underscored the shared determination of the officials of both countries to continuously strengthen cooperation in all areas.
The foreign minister further pointed to the intensification of aggressive unilateralism by the United States, the growing disregard for international law, and its replacement with a force-based order.
Araqchi stressed the importance of cooperation among independent countries, including Iran and Russia, to strengthen multilateralism and safeguard the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter. In this context, he said Iran and Russia would firmly continue their cooperation within international organizations and regional frameworks, including BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Eurasian Economic Union.
For his part, Slutsky described the meeting as a suitable opportunity to bring viewpoints closer and enhance coordination between the two countries on bilateral and international issues.
Referring to the convergence of Iran’s and Russia’s positions on many regional and international matters, he emphasized the need to utilize all available capacities to expand cooperation in economic, trade, transport, transit, energy, tourism, and industrial sectors, drawing on Iran-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership treaty.
During the meeting, several members of the Russian State Duma also presented their views on bilateral relations and on Iran-Russia cooperation regarding regional and international issues.