Iran, Russia FMs review strategic cooperation, discuss ŕegional security at SCO Meeting

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi continued his consultations with counterparts attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kyrgyzstan, holding talks on Friday afternoon with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi continued his consultations with counterparts attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kyrgyzstan, holding talks on Friday afternoon with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the status of bilateral cooperation in the political, economic, trade, transport, and energy sectors, as well as coordination within international organizations and regional and multilateral frameworks, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS. They agreed to pursue the necessary follow-up measures to facilitate the implementation of the understandings reached between the two countries in the relevant fields.

The Iranian and Russian foreign ministers also exchanged views on developments in West Asia following the US ruling establishmen's renewed breach of commitments and violation of the provisions of the Islamabad Memorandum. Araghchi expressed appreciation for Russia's principled position in strongly condemning the U.S. and Israeli military aggression against Iran. He said the current insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz is the direct result of the United States' failure to honour its commitments and the crimes committed by the US against Iran. Recalling Iran's goodwill throughout the negotiations that led to the ceasefire memorandum, he stressed that, just as Iran had demonstrated seriousness in diplomacy, it remains firmly determined to defend its national interests and security and to prevent the United States from exploiting the Strait of Hormuz to threaten Iran's national security.

Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's principled position condemning the military aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran. He also underscored the importance of cooperation and confidence-building to establish a regional security mechanism based on the countries of the region and expressed Russia's readiness to provide any assistance in this regard.