Following the deaths of both of their Iranian counterparts in a helicopter accident, the president and foreign minister of Russia have written sympathy letters to Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and President Ebrahim Raisi perished in a helicopter accident in the Eastern Azerbaijan province of Iran on May 19, in the evening.
Seven more individuals, including the regional governor of the province, are said to have perished in the crash, the causes of which are yet unknown, according to Iranian media sources.
In a statement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed Moscow’s “deep sorrow” over the incident.
“We extend our sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and to the entire friendly nation of Iran,” Mr. Lavrov said.
He referred to Mr. Amir-Abdollahian, 60, and Mr. Raisi, 63, as "true friends" of Russia who had been instrumental in mending ties between the two nations.
Russia and Iran, who are both the objects of ongoing sanctions imposed by the West, have become closer in recent years, particularly in terms of security.
In Syria, where they both keep forces to aid Damascus against organizations they consider to be "foreign-backed terrorist groups," the two nations collaborate closely.
The West, on the other hand, charges Russia with utilizing "suicide" drones made in Iran in its continuing assault of eastern Ukraine; Moscow disputes this accusation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin volunteered to deploy planes and mountaineers to help with the rescue attempts while people searched for Mr. Raisi's downed chopper.
Mr. Putin called his Iranian counterpart a “remarkable man” whom he had met on “several occasions” in a sympathy statement he wrote and which was posted on the Kremlin website.
He also praised the Iranian leader for his contribution to the “development of good neighborly relations between our countries and [his] great efforts to bring them to the level of strategic partnership.”
Five in-person encounters between Mr. Raisi and Mr. Putin have taken place since the latter took office as president of Iran in 2021.
The last encounter took place in December when Mr. Raisi traveled to Moscow to speak with the Russian president on Israel's ongoing Gaza war.
At the time, White House national security spokesman John Kirby described the “burgeoning defense relationship” between the two countries as “worrisome.”
The presidents of Russia and Iran convened in Uzbekistan at the end of 2022 for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a powerful group of Eurasian powers under the leadership of Beijing and Moscow.
Iran joined the SCO in July of last year as a full member, joining Pakistan, India, and four other Central Asian nations.
Iran officially joined the BRICS group of countries early this year, along with Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates, in yet another indication of improving relations.
Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa were the initial members of the international organization known as BRICS, which was founded in 2010.
Mr. Raisi was scheduled to attend a significant BRICS summit that had recently concluded in the Russian city of Kazan before to his untimely demise.
“We’re sparing no effort to ensure that Mr. Raisi, as president of Iran and a new member of BRICS, attends the summit in the friendly nation of Russia,” Kazem Jalali, Iran’s ambassador to Moscow, told reporters last week.
For months, Moscow and Tehran have been holding talks aimed at forging a “strategic partnership” between their two countries.
The Russian ambassador to Iran, Alexey Dedov, stated in February that a draft agreement to this effect was nearing completion and would shortly be signed by both parties.
Mr. Dedov stated that, should the agreement be inked, it will "determine Russia-Iran interaction for the coming years, perhaps decades." The specifics of the pact are yet unclear.
“We’re talking about a new interstate agreement, a comprehensive strategic partnership between our two countries,” he told Russia’s Sputnik news agency.
In late March, Mr. Jalali, Tehran’s envoy to Moscow, said the strategic partnership agreement would likely be signed sometime this year.
“Hopefully, this document will be signed in 2024,” he told Sputnik.
“The most important thing is to have this document drawn up,” the diplomat added...
The passing of Mr. Raisi will not have an impact on the ongoing growth of bilateral ties, according to Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov.
“We reaffirm our commitment to close, in-depth cooperation [with Iran] on both bilateral and international issues,” Mr. Ryabkov told reporters on May 20.
“We also hew to the position that all agreements reached earlier will be implemented,” he added.
Mr. Ryabkov made no mention of the impending agreement for a strategic collaboration.
Nonetheless, he emphasized that the two nations will keep "gradually" growing their bilateral relations, with a focus on "strengthening security."
