Iranian, Russian presidents discuss regional tensions, bilateral ties in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed regional tensions and bilateral ties during a meeting Tuesday on the sidelines of the 8th Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Moscow.

During opening remarks at their meeting, Putin described the summit as “quite successful” and said bilateral meetings between participating leaders were “also very useful.”

About the situation in the region, Putin said: “As you know-and we have just been discussing the situation in the region one-on-one-it is certainly a cause for concern, not only for us, but especially for us, given that we work closely with Iran.

“We are neighbors, we share many common interests, and we are striving to pursue them all. We hope that the situation will develop in a positive direction.”

The Russian president said Moscow was fulfilling its obligations under all joint projects with Tehran.

He said bilateral trade turnover increased 10.4% during the first eight months of the year, while construction continued at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant.

“We are always glad to see you in Moscow, in Russia, dear Mr. President. We are glad to have the opportunity to talk on topical issues and exchange views on our bilateral agenda,” Putin said.

For his part, Pezeshkian thanked Putin for his hospitality and described their contacts as “always highly productive.”

“You provide us with support on both political and economic matters. We are truly grateful for your backing and assistance,” Pezeshkian said.

He also agreed with Putin’s assessment that trade cooperation between the two countries was “growing and developing.”

Pezeshkian said the “aggressive steps taken by the Americans in the region” had demonstrated the need to work toward creating a multipolar world, which he described as “beneficial to us all.”

“It seems to me that we can work on all the problems that exist in our region. We are capable of resolving all our issues—all regional matters—without the United States,” he said.

“There is no need to rely on American assistance in the region—a point that some countries in our region might disagree with, but, in reality, that is simply not the case,” he added.

Earlier Tuesday, Putin and Pezeshkian both addressed the 8th Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit.