Moscow Hopes Iran's Raisi Visits Russia Once COVID-19 Situation Stabilises, Ambassador Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow hopes that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi can visit Russia once the coronavirus situation permits, Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan has told Sputnik.

"As you know, before the start of the pandemic, our presidents regularly met in Russia, Iran, on the margins of various international events. ...We hope that as the epidemiological situation normalises, the right conditions will emerge for it [the visit] to take place", Dzhagaryan said.

"We have close, and on a number of international and regional issues, coinciding positions. In connection with the SCO summit scheduled for September of this year in Dushanbe, I would like to confirm that Russia supports Iran's application for full membership in this organisation", Dzhagaryan told Sputnik.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed preparations for the upcoming SCO summit with Raisi when he congratulated his Iranian counterpart on winning the nation's recent presidential election.

Raisi won the 18 June presidential race in Iran with nearly 62 percent of the vote. Iran's previous leader, Hassan Rouhani, served the maximum two terms in office.

Ebrahim Raisi was sworn in on 5 August.