Russia, Iran defence ministers to have talks in Tehran

TEHRAN, January 20. /TASS/. Visiting Russian Defence Minister General Sergey Shoigu who arrived on a two-day official visit in Iran’s capital Tehran on Monday will have talks with Iranian counterpart Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan on Tuesday. Negotiators will talk topical issues of boosting military and military-technical co-operation between the two countries, regional and global security. Sergey Shoigu is expected to meet with Chief of Iranian Armed Forces General Staff General Hassan Firouzabadi. A deal on bilateral military partnership is planned to sign at the visit, chief of the press service and information department of Russian Defence Ministry Major General Igor Konashenkov said earlier. Before the visit the Fars news agency (FNA) cited Hossein Dehghan who noted Tehran and Moscow should develop military ties naming them as “an important factor of bolstering stability and security in the whole region of the Middle East and Central Asia.” General Dehghan has voiced his view in a return message to Shoigu over congratulations on appointment to the post of the Iranian defence minister back in October 2013. Then he noted a special place which he gives to Russia in Iran’s foreign policy, noting that “continued military co-operation between the two countries will promote consolidation of effort taken to step up regional and global security.” Meanwhile, Iranian news agency IRNA named Shoigu’s current two-day visit to Tehran as “a remarkable event.” This state-run news agency noted that Russian defence minister’s visit “brings Russian-Iranian relations on a new level of security co-operation.” The news agency noted close positions which Iran and Russia have on many international and regional problems, including a deal between Iran and the six mediating states /five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany/ on Iranian nuclear programme, NATO’s deployment of missile defence systems in Eastern Europe, Syrian intra-political crisis and the problems of the fight against terrorist groupings in the Middle East. IRNA also reported close approaches the two countries have in settlement of the problems on the energy market related with a sharp fall of global prices on energy carriers. Shoigu and Dehghan had the previous meeting at the 3rd Moscow international security conference in May 2014. Read more