Russian PM Mishustin to visit Iran, Armenia

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin will arrive in Iran on an official visit and plans to meet with the country's President Masoud Pezeshkian and First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref, the press service of the Russian government reported,  reported from TASS.

According to the Russian government's website, this will be Mishustin's first visit to Iran as Prime Minister. Nevertheless, he has been actively interacting with the leadership of the Islamic Republic.

Masoud Pezeshkian was elected to the top post in July this year after the tragic death of former President Ebrahim Raisi in a plane crash. The talks in Tehran will be the first such high-level Russian-Iranian meeting since Pezeshkian took office. However, contacts between Moscow and Tehran are regular, including at the highest level. In mid-September, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu visited Iran and, according to local state media, conveyed a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pezeshkian. A face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the two countries is expected at the BRICS summit in Kazan in October.

According to the press service, Mishustin plans to discuss "the entire spectrum of Russian-Iranian cooperation in the trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres." Moscow and Tehran are particularly interested in implementing "major joint projects in the fields of transport, industry, energy, and education, as well as agriculture.

Russia and Iran are already actively cooperating in the nuclear industry: one unit of the Bushehr NPP was built with the help of Russian specialists, and work is underway on the construction of two more units. In addition, Moscow and Tehran are working on the full launch of the North-South International Transport Corridor, which will link the Baltic coast and the Indian Ocean by land via a direct rail route.

The Russian government also highlighted the deepening of relations between the regions of the two countries, as well as Tehran's interest in Russian culture.

Mishustin will also pay a working visit to Armenia on October 1 for the events within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

The Russian premier will participate in the 40th meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council and the plenary session of the Eurasian Economic Forum.

It is noted that together with his colleagues from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Mishustin will discuss the "pertinent issues of expanding integration within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union," giving special attention to the issues of the internal market and the development of interaction in the industrial, transport, customs, agricultural and energy spheres.

Observer states, Cuba and Uzbekistan, as well as invited guests will join the meeting.

Additionally, the EAEU prime ministers will discuss industrial cooperation within the EAEU until 2030.

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