WANA (Dec 16) – The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran has arrived in Moscow as part of a series of intensive regional and international consultations, aiming to hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as well as a number of Russian political, parliamentary, and academic figures.
Upon arrival at Vnukovo International Airport on Tuesday, Seyed Abbas Araghchi was welcomed by Kazem Jalali, Iran’s Ambassador to Russia, along with officials from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the announced program, the Iranian foreign minister will begin his official visit to Moscow with meetings and discussions with Russian intellectuals and policy experts. These exchanges are intended to present Iran’s perspectives on regional and global developments and to strengthen intellectual and diplomatic engagement between the two countries.
Later on Tuesday, Araghchi is scheduled to meet with senior members of the State Duma and the Federation Council, Russia’s two main legislative bodies. The meeting, hosted by Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, will bring together committee heads and leaders of parliamentary friendship groups with Iran from both chambers, focusing on expanding and deepening bilateral relations.
Another part of the visit will include meetings with officials of Iranian institutions and diplomats at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Moscow.
On Wednesday, the Iranian foreign minister will also visit MGIMO University, affiliated with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he is expected to deliver a lecture to professors and students on foreign policy and current international developments.
According to a statement by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Araghchi will hold an official meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday afternoon in Moscow. The two sides are expected to hold comprehensive discussions on a wide range of international issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, and exchange views on regional developments of mutual interest.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet in Moscow, Russia January 17, 2025. Handout / WANA News Agency
The statement noted that special attention will also be given to bilateral relations between Tehran and Moscow, which have been elevated to a new qualitative level of comprehensive strategic partnership following the entry into force of the Comprehensive Strategic Treaty in October 2025.
Iran’s Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, described the visit as part of ongoing high-level engagements between the two countries. In a post on the social media platform X, he noted that stable Iran–Russia relations are strengthened through continued senior-level dialogue. He added that following the recent meeting between the presidents of the two countries in Ashgabat, the Iranian foreign minister’s visit to Moscow aims to follow up on agreements and further expand cooperation.
Jalali emphasized that the current bilateral agenda encompasses a wide range of political issues and economic projects, alongside regional and international coordination, all of which are expected to further elevate relations between Tehran and Moscow.
Prior to his trip to Russia, the Iranian foreign minister visited Minsk, the capital of Belarus, on Monday, where he held talks with the president, the foreign minister, and the secretary of the National Security Council on ways to develop and strengthen bilateral relations between Tehran and Minsk.
Iranian Foreign Minister Meets Belarusian President in Minsk. Social media/ WANA News Agency