Alwaght- As part of the diplomatic interactions between Tehran and Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Iran to hold discussions with Iranian officials.
The visit is coming after the two partners in mid-January signed a strategic cooperation pact, and given Lavrov's recent visit to Turkey and also the important regional and international developments, it is of high significance.
In this relation, Iran's ambassador to Moscow said: " The Russian foreign minister's visit to Tehran continues the path of developing close cooperation between the two countries, focusing on deepening high-level discussions and consultations on a diverse range of issues in bilateral relations, regional and international developments, which are more necessary than ever at this time.
Work on imolemting comprehensive strategic partnership pact
Therefore, in the first place, the growing Tehran-Moscow relationship at all levels in recent years have made beefing up them and political dialogue necessary, especially that the push to neutralize the impacts of the Western countries have made economic diplomacy a top priority and mission of the foreign policy apparatuses of the two countries.
Accordingly, the visit of Lavrov to Tehran, as the czar of Russian foreign policy and a long-standing figure very close to Putin in the country's political structure, follows the signing of the "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement" between the two countries in January, which was designed to elevate cooperation in the economic, security, energy, political and cultural fields.
The signing of this 20-year pact was a major step towards bolstering these relations. Lavrov is likely to be looking at ways to advance the implementation of this agreement and remove potential obstacles on the path to its operationalization. He has stated in this regard that this agreement is an example of establishing relations between independent and equal countries.
When it comes to economic and energy cooperation, Iran and Russia are seeking to advance partnership and technical interactions and investment in such areas as oil, gas and the transfer of high-tech, which are likely to be on the agenda of the negotiations.
Enjoying markets of several hundred million consumer population, Tehran and Moscow can offer unmatched investment, exports, imports, and services for businesspeople of the two countries. Given the measures taken in recent years to facilitate trade transactions, such as the monetary and banking agreement and the use of local currency, or Iran's accession as an observer member in the Eurasian Economic Union and joint membership in major organizations such as BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the ground has been prepared for further development of relations and becoming complementary economies and compensating for past shortcomings.
In this relation, one important issue is completion and launch of North-South Corridor on which Russia set its heart, a project that can be called the cornerstone of the future Iranian-Russian economic connection.
The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a strategic project connecting Russia, Iran, India and several other countries. The corridor is of great importance as an alternative route for international trade, especially in the context of Western sanctions against Russia, which have highlighted the need to reduce its sole dependence on the Black Sea route and diversify its export routes. Moscow has lofty hopes for this corridor for a number of economic, geopolitical and strategic reasons.
The North-South Corridor will provide Russia with direct and cheaper access to Asian markets, especially India and the Persian Gulf countries, and will connect it to global markets.
The corridor will also make Russia’s trade route to the south shorter and more cost-effective. Before Ukraine war, the Russian economy was heavily dependent on energy exports, and energy sanctions have hit Moscow's foreign revenues. Diversification is one of Putin's main goals, and the corridor could help achieve this goal by allowing for the development of non-oil trade and increased exports of industrial and agricultural products. The success of the project depends on close cooperation between the member states, especially Russia and Iran.
Discussing regional and international issues
The most important areas of regional discussion can be as follows:
First of all, Lavrov's visit to Iran is taking place immediately after his meeting with Turkish officials. This indicates the importance of regional issues on Russia's diplomatic agenda, especially the Syrian case.
Tehran and Moscow are considered the two main allies of the former Syrian government, which, despite announcing the existence of direct and indirect communication channels with the new government, still do not have a stable approach to the developments in the country due to the unstable and ambiguous political and security situation in the Arab country and are looking to the developments ahead. However, Turkey, as the most important supporter and regional ally of new Damascus, is seeking to stabilize the new situation in Syria and provide the basis for regional and international acceptance and recognition of the new government, and to this end, it is trying to ease the concerns and distrust of Iran and Russia by establishing communication channels.
Another important case in Lavrov's talks in Tehran is expected to be the presentation of a report on the direct negotiations between Moscow and Washington on the war in Ukraine, especially before the expected important meeting between Putin and Trump in Saudi Arabia.
Although Iran and Russia's positions on the situation in the Ukraine war and its solution have not been completely aligned from the beginning, and Tehran, while declaring neutrality in the conflict, has considered negotiation without Western interference as the best solution to fill the gaps, Russia nevertheless considers Tehran a strategic ally that has helped reduce Western sanctions pressure on the country, and possibility of Russian de-escalation with Trump's US should not be interpreted as coming at the cost of strengthening ties with Iran.
In this regard, Putin knows well that even if Trump and his team seek to restore ties to pre-war period with Russia, the complications of the US political structure put highly strong barriers in this path whose removal is beyond powers of the president. For instance, lifting the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) requires a bill of the Congress that even despite dominance of the Republicans it is not in favor of a relief of anti-Russian sanctions and perhaps with return of the Democracts to majority in 2026 elections, Trump's plans will be plagued. Therefore, for Putin, his meeting with Trump serves more as an opportunity to weaken Ukraine's position in the war and talks, to deepen inter-NATO gaps, and to highlight and globalize an image of Russian victory over the Western pressures than to end hostility with Washington.
