Iran-Russia cooperation key to regional security: Russian diplomat

Moscow, Jan 19, IRNA – Russia's former First Consul General in northern Iranian city of Rasht, Vladimir Ivanenko, said on Monday that security of the Caspian Sea region, the Caucasus and Central Asia requires enhanced cooperation between Iran and Russia. In an exclusive interview with IRNA, Ivanenko, who is a Middle East expert at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, said that the current situation of Iran-Russia diplomatic relations is very satisfactory due to determination of leaders of both countries. Referring to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's visit to Tehran which is planned to be made today, Ivanenko underlined the need for enhanced security and military cooperation between Iran and Russia. The Russian diplomat said that Russia attaches special significance to expansion of relations with its southern neighbor. He said that over the past few years reliance of Tehran and Moscow on each other have increased, adding that both Iranian and Russian officials understand the critical situation created due to unilateralism the US government is seeking in the international arena. The peace prevailing in the Caspian Sea region and the Caucasus and the fact that the terrorists cannot jeopardize security of the Central Asian countries is due in part to regional cooperation and interaction between Iran and Russia, Ivanenko said. Referring to growing conflicts across the Middle East region, Ivanenko said that threats posed to the region by terrorist and extremist groups, as well as the rise of dangerous groups like Daesh, that enjoy widespread economic support, requires security cooperation of regional countries.