Hassan Rouhani to Travel to Russia for Talks with Vladimir Putin

The Iranian embassy in Moscow and Russian officials announced that Hassan Rouhani will travel to Russia in about two months for talks with Vladimir Putin. The Iranian embassy in Russia stated on Tuesday, February 1, that Hassan Rouhani, the President of the Islamic Republic, is scheduled to visit Moscow and meet with his Russian counterpart. Russian news agencies TASS and Interfax quoted Ahmad Heydarian, the Iranian deputy ambassador in Russia, stating that Mr. Rouhani's visit and meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place in March this year. In response to a question on this matter, he said: 'Yes, he will come to Moscow in March (Esfand and Farvardin) to have negotiations with the President of Russia.' Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Russian President, also confirmed the preparation of Hassan Rouhani's travel program to Moscow. Some Russian sources, citing 'an informed diplomatic official,' reported that this trip will occur by the end of March, which corresponds to April 10 in the Gregorian calendar. Hassan Rouhani had previously traveled to Ufa, Russia, in 2015 to participate in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS members, and the Eurasian Economic Union. If Mr. Rouhani's trip to Russia takes place, it will be his first visit to Moscow during his presidency. Hassan Rouhani and Vladimir Putin have met and negotiated with each other nine times so far. The Russian President visited Tehran in December 2015 to attend the third summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum and went directly from the airport to meet the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Ayatollah Khamenei referred to Vladimir Putin as a 'prominent figure' with 'innovative positions' and praised Russia's regional policies, 'especially regarding Syria.' Iran and Russia are key allies of Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, and the presidents of the two countries have had four phone conversations in the past month focused on the Syrian crisis. Cooperation in building new power plants, selling uranium, and purchasing heavy water are among the collaborations between Russia and Iran's nuclear program.