Iran’s president-elect reveals his policy on Russia, focusing on strengthening bilateral relations and regional cooperation.
Iran’s president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his admiration for Russia as a “highly valued strategic partner” and vowed to further enhance ties with Moscow. Pezeshkian, who is scheduled to be sworn in on July 30, outlined his foreign policy priorities in an article titled ‘My message to the new world’, which was published by the Tehran Times last Friday.
He emphasized that Russia is a crucial ally and neighbor to Iran, and his administration will persist in expanding and strengthening their collaboration. Tehran will give utmost importance to its relations with Russia, both bilaterally and within international organizations like BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and the Eurasian Economic Union, the president-elect emphasized. Pezeshkian also pledged to actively support initiatives aimed at resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He acknowledged the unwavering support of China and Russia during challenging times, underscoring the significance of this friendship.
Pezeshkian emerged victorious in the presidential election last week, securing 53.7% of the votes against his opponent Saeed Jalili’s 44.3% in the second round. The snap election was called following the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May.
During a meeting with Iranian legislators at the tenth BRICS Parliamentary Forum in St. Petersburg on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked that Moscow and Tehran have made significant strides in their relations in recent years. .
Putin expressed confidence that under Pezeshkian, bilateral ties will progress at the same steady pace as they did under Mr. Raisi, whose passing was mourned by alln his article, Pezeshkian stated that Tehran eagerly anticipates closer collaboration with Beijing as they move towards a new global order. Regarding Iran’s ties with Europe, he acknowledged the fluctuations it has experienced. Pezeshkian highlighted that European nations failed to uphold their commitments to salvage the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers after the US unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018.
