Iran, China agree to develop cooperation in holding military drills

The Iranian and Chinese top military officials have agreed to expand cooperation in the field of holding joint military drills and exchange of experiences.

On April 27, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri and visiting Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe agreed to develop bilateral cooperation in the field of holding military exercises, exchange of experiences, training issues and other common fields between the two countries' armed forces in order to provide better security for sovereignty of the two countries' territories, Iran's Mehr news agency reports.

During the meeting, the two sides emphasized the need for the development of educational, military and security cooperation between armed forces of the two countries. 

The Iranian general said at the meeting that relations between the armed forces of Iran and China have been developing in recent years, so that the two countries have so far held joint military drills in the Sea of Oman.

Within a "Marine Security Belt" initiative, Iran, China and Russia participated in the "CHIRU-2Q22" naval exercise on January 21, in the northern Indian Ocean. It was the third such drill held by these countries.