Putin’s Aide Meets Iran’s Security Chief In Tehran

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special assistant met Iran's Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) in Tehran on Tuesday. 

In his third trip to the Islamic Republic this year, Igor Levitin, who is also Russia’s State Council Secretary, met with Ali-Akbar Ahmadian, the new SNSC secretary, as well as Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. 

During the meeting, Ahmadian stressed the need to speed up the implementation of bilateral agreement, including the project to complete the North-South Transport Corridor and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in the field of oil and gas.

Russia last year pledged to invest tens of billions of dollars in joint energy projects, but similar deals were made in the past without any progress in implementation.

“Expanding relations with neighbors is a strategic policy and the main agenda of the Islamic Republic,” Ahmadian said. 

According to the readout of the meeting in Iranian media, they also talked about the agreement on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway, a strategic transport corridor that connects the existing railways of the two countries and Azerbaijan. 

During his meeting with Amir-Abdollahian, Vladimir Putin’s aide also congratulated the Islamic Republic on its full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, announced earlier in the day.