BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian set to hold talks in Russia on Jan. 17 after which they will sign a long-awaited comprehensive strategic partnership pact, the Kremlin said on Monday.
Both leaders will discuss options for further expanding ties between Moscow and Tehran, including in the trade and investment, transport and logistics, and humanitarian spheres, the Kremlin said.
Putin and Pezeshkian will also talk about regional and international issues, it added.
Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran and other countries hostile towards the U.S., such as North Korea, since the start of the Ukraine war.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said October that Moscow and Tehran intended to sign the strategic partnership pact which would include closer defence cooperation.
The United States accused Tehran in September of delivering close-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine, and imposed sanctions on ships and companies it said were involved in delivering Iranian weapons. Tehran has denied providing Moscow with the missiles.
