Russia approves strategic partnership agreement draft with Iran

Russian President Vladimir Putin has given the green light to a draft agreement for a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Iran.

The decision follows a proposal from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has been coordinated with other key government bodies. The directive authorizing the negotiations and the potential signing of the treaty was officially published on September 18, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

In the directive, Putin authorized the Foreign Ministry to make non-essential amendments to the draft during negotiations, but emphasized the importance of the signing taking place at the highest level. "I find it advisable to carry out the signing of the treaty, as stipulated in this directive, at the highest level," the document states.

While the details of the draft agreement remain confidential, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko offered some insight during an earlier interview with TASS. He confirmed that the text of the agreement was finalized during consultations held in Moscow on June 21. "During the highly productive consultations held in Moscow on June 21 between legal and territorial experts from the Foreign Ministries of both countries, we were able to finalize the text of the agreement," Rudenko said.

The signing is expected to take place at one of the upcoming high-level meetings between the two nations, marking a significant step in deepening bilateral ties.

Earlier, the IRNA agency reported that Iran's President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian, in a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressed Tehran's readiness to sign the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement with Moscow in October at the BRICS summit in Kazan.