Putin says Russia-Iran ties ‘developing positively’
Samarkand, Uzbekistan (AFP):
Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed “growing ties” with Tehran as he met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of a regional summit.
“On the bilateral level, cooperation is developing positively,” Putin said, as Moscow looks to use the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan to show it is not isolated internationally despite the conflict in Ukraine.
“We are doing everything to make Iran a full member of the SCO,” Putin added, with reference to Tehran’s application for full membership in the group, which brings together China, Russia, India, Pakistan and four ex-Soviet Central Asian countries.
Iran, one of four SCO observer states, applied for full membership in 2008 but its bid was slowed by UN and US sanctions imposed over its nuclear programme.
Putin said work on a major new Russia-Iran treaty on strategic ties was nearly completed and that Moscow would be sending a Russian business delegation to Iran next week to develop commercial ties.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
