Iranian president to visit Russia for gas summit and meet Putin

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will leave for Russia on Monday night to attend a summit of gas-exporting countries in Moscow and meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, Anadolu Agency reported, citing Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Pezeshkian is scheduled to take part in the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) summit on Tuesday and is expected to deliver a speech.

During his one-day visit, the Iranian president may also hold bilateral meetings with leaders of other participating countries.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Pezeshkian and Putin would meet in Moscow this week.

In a post on “Instagram”, Araghchi said the meeting would follow up on discussions held during Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Tehran on Oct. 19.

The talks are expected to focus on bilateral cooperation, as well as regional and international developments.

The GECF is an intergovernmental organization that brings together major natural gas-producing countries, including Iran, Russia, Qatar and Algeria.