Iran Discusses Regional Developments with China, Russia

Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri Kani has discussed regional and international developments with Chinese and Russian officials on the sidelines of the BRICS ministerial meeting held in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.

During his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Baqeri affirmed that "Iran is ready to use all its capacities to support the oppressed and defenseless people of Gaza", the Foreign Ministry's website reported on June 10.

He hailed "advancing" bilateral relations between Iran and China, as well as the two countries' stance against the US "unilateralism", saying that multilateralism championed by Iran and China provides clear solutions to global challenges.

Baqeri described the prospects for Tehran-Beijing cooperation as "bright, forward-looking, and successful," and noted that both countries' membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS increases the protection of independent countries' rights and interests globally.

He emphasized that Iran is committed to strengthening sustainable and strategic relations with China, noting that this cooperation benefits both countries and ensures regional and global stability and security.

In his turn, Wang Yi reiterated China's support for Iran's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and underlined China's high regard for the strategic cooperation agreement between the two countries and reaffirmed readiness to continue advancing Beijing-Tehran relations and implementing the agreement.

The Chinese minister’s remarks came days after Iran summoned China's Ambassador to Tehran to protest against Beijing's joint statement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) related to the three disputed islands in the Gulf controlled by Iran but claimed by the UAE, on June 2.

The Iranian acting foreign minister also discussed developing and deepening strategic relationships between Tehran and Moscow at a meeting with the Russian presidential aide Igor Levitin.

Both officials focused on the continuation of the North-South Corridor project and the acceleration of the Rasht-Astara railway project during the meeting. Levitin emphasized that Russia intends to link the North-South Corridor with other routes and increase the areas of cooperation between the two countries in the field of transit.

Baqeri, for his turn, stressed that the "advancement and completion of corridors are based on national will and determination, and this approach will continue in the future".

The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a 7,200 km (4500 miles) long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road routes for moving freight between India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe, linking the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian and Baltic Seas.