High on the agenda of the Foreign Ministers of Russia and Iran, Sergey Lavrov and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, when they spoke by phone on Jan. 15, was assessing their nations’ progress in drafting a new treaty between them. Russia’s readout described the treaty under discussion as “major” (https://mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/1925719/); the report from the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) spoke of “a comprehensive and strategic cooperation agreement” (https://en.irna.ir/news/85355366/Iran-Russia-FMs-call-for-finalizing-strategic-cooperation-agreement), and the two ministers “urged the necessity of finalizing” the treaty.
The language of the Russian readout makes clear that the treaty will, along with whatever else, cover security matters: “The ministers also discussed efforts to further develop contacts and coordination between the two countries at all levels, emphasizing the abiding mutual commitment to the fundamental principles of Russian-Iranian relations, including unconditional respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and other principles of the UN Charter which will be reaffirmed in the major treaty being prepared for signing by the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
IRNA reported that Lavrov “termed Tehran and Moscow’s ties as strategic and friendly, noting that Russia is firmly committed to Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The two Foreign Ministers also discussed “a number of practical issues concerning bilateral trade and economic cooperation, as well as cooperation in transport, logistics and other areas,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry reported.
The escalating tensions in the Southwest Asian region constituted the other major item on their agenda. As the Russian Foreign Ministry reported: “The Foreign Ministers strongly condemned the large-scale attacks on Yemen carried out by a group of countries led by the U.S. and Great Britain. They spoke in favor of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and ensuring unobstructed humanitarian access to the enclave to provide urgent assistance to the suffering civilian population.”
