Iran, Russia sign defense-military coop. pact

TEHRAN, Jan. 20 (MNA) – In a Tuesday meeting between Iran and Russia’s defense ministers, the two sides signed a defense-military cooperation pact to control crises related to terrorism and extremism. Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan met with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu who is on a visit to Tehran to discuss Iran and Russia’s common positions on political, regional and international issues. While stressing that the two countries could use their capacities to demonstrate a model for complementing cooperation, Dehqan added, “the current state of affairs can serve as a good opportunity for Iran and Russia to develop and boost their mutual cooperation.” He made references to Ayatollah Khamenei’s quotation that ‘powerful Russia and independent Iran are the two significant pillars for regional and international stability’ and said, “since the US and other western countries are following the policy on eroding independent states’ capacities and strategic infrastructures, Iran and Russia can counter their plots by boosting bilateral cooperation and activating their strategic capacities.” Dehqan highlighted the significance of unity among regional countries to combat terrorism, violence and extremism, calling for signing regional treaties to manage and control crises stemming from such threats. “Strengthening the region’s political and economical structures such as Shanghai Cooperation Organization as well as establishing new security structures can make overcoming these problems possible,” he said. During this meeting, the two defense ministers signed a defense-military cooperation pact on preservation of peace, security and stability on a regional and international scale, as well as countermeasures for terrorism, separatism and extremism. Heading a high-ranking delegation, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu arrived in Tehran late on Monday on the invitation of his Iranian counterpart.