Putin Notes Significant Progress in Russian-Iranian Relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday Russia and Iran had made big progress in cooperation across all spheres since his last visit to Tehran.

BAKU (Sputnik) — Putin was speaking in Azeri capital Baku where he met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev. The Russian leader last met with Rouhani when he visited Iran in November 2015 for the first time in eight years.

"Since then, we’ve come a long way in developing our bilateral relations. Our friendship is growing stronger and becoming more comprehensive. This is true for our economic ties and political contacts across all spheres, as well as for humanitarian cooperation," Putin said at a meeting with Rouhani in Baku.

In his turn, the Iranian president expressed gratitude for Russia's help in clinching the July 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, which rid Tehran of nuclear-related economic sanctions.

Rouhani spoke of a rise in trade flows between Russia and Iran, and predicted that Monday’s summit in Baku would further strengthen trilateral relations between the Caspian neighbor nations and increase overall stability in the region.