Russia's Shoigu arrives in Iran for military talks: MoD

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Sep 2023 17:18

Russia's Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, and a high-level delegation engage in discussions with Iran's military leadership in Tehran.

Screengrab from a video depicting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attending the welcoming ceremony in Tehran, Iran, accompanied by Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Bagheri, September 19, 2023 (Twitter: @RusEmbIran)

Russia's Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, arrived in Tehran on Tuesday leading a high-level delegation to engage in talks with Iran's military leadership, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated.

"During the visit, the delegation of the Russian Defense Ministry will hold a number of talks with the military leadership of the republic," the statement read.

Throughout the visit, the delegation will aim to strengthen Russian-Iranian military ties and will mark yet another stage in advancing cooperation between the two countries, the ministry said.

The Russian delegation led by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had arrived in Tehran for negotiations with the military leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran. pic.twitter.com/Dx9S6egRSk
— Russian Embassy, IRI (@RusEmbIran) September 19, 2023

A military ceremony was held to welcome Shoigu and the delegation he leads, where both the Iranian and Russian flags were raised.

Earlier in August, the Commander of the Ground Force of the Iranian Army Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari, made a multi-day visit to Russia where he emphasized that Iran and Russia will expand their cooperation on the military level.

The Commander called his visits to Moscow "timely and fruitful," detailing positive agreements during a meeting with Oleg Salyukov, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army's Ground Forces.

Heidari celebrated Iran's presence along with 70 other nations at Russia's Army-2023 International Military-Technical Forum, recalling that Iran's various land, sea, aerospace, missile, and electronic warfare capabilities astounded visitors and participants.

It is worth noting that the visit comes as the Azeri Defense Ministry announces an "anti-terrorist operation" in Nagorno-Karabakh, almost three years after it went to war over the highly disputed mountainous region in close proximity to both Iran and Russia.