Putin Will ‘Certainly’ Visit Iran At Some Point - Kremlin

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russian President Vladimir Putin will certainly visit Iran at some point, but the exact date of this visit is yet unknown. 

According to TASS, Peskov made the remarks on Friday, a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expressed hope that the Iran-Russia-Turkey summit will eventually convene in Tehran. 

"He will certainly [go there] over time, but exact dates are yet to be determined," the spokesman said, when asked to comment on the possibility of Putin visiting Iran and participating in a summit in the framework of Astana talks over the conflict in Syria.

Plans to hold such a meeting in Tehran were announced several times before the covid-19 pandemic hit the world, but the event had to be postponed many times since.

After the 16th meeting of the Astana process in Kazakhstan's capital Nur Sultan in July 2021, Turkey, Russia and Iran pledged to maintain cooperation in Syria to bring the warring sides together to find a permanent solution to the decade-long war.

Initiated by Turkey, Iran and Russia, the Astana meeting is focused on the constitutional system, political transition, security and resettlement. The first Astana meeting was held in Turkey in January 2017 to facilitate United Nations-sponsored peace talks in Geneva.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was in Tehran on Wednesday and Thursday for an official visit, aimed at boosting trade and energy cooperation as the two countries grapple with Western economic sanctions.