Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will meet in Moscow on Friday to sign a strategic partnership agreement, the Kremlin announced Monday.
“On 17 January, Vladimir Putin will hold talks with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian, who will come to Moscow on an official visit,” the Kremlin said.
“Following the talks, Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian will sign the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Russia and Iran,” the statement added.
The two leaders will discuss expanding cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, including in “trade, investment, transport, logistics, humanitarian sphere, and current issues on the regional and international agenda,” the statement said.
The agreement is also expected to cement the growing military and political partnership between the two nations.
Moscow’s ties with the Iranian regime have intensified since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Iran has provided Russia with Shahed drones used to target civilian infrastructure and power plants in Ukraine.
Last October, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia would have signed a strategic partnership agreement with Iran “in the near future.” In December, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced plans to close the deal by the end of January.
Putin signed a similar agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June, under which both parties agreed to militarily support each other in the event of an aggression.
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