Iranian, Russian National Security Council Secretaries Call for Closer Ties

Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, met with his Russian counterpart, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, on Wednesday in Tehran, to discuss the war in Ukraine and the strengthening of bilateral ties. The Iranian official said his country would welcome and support any initiative leading to a cease-fire and peace talks to end the Russo-Ukrainian War, Iran’s Nour news website reported. He also called for Tehran and Moscow to collaborate on joint projects in the areas of agriculture, energy, the environment, finance, trade, and transportation, and for regional and international cooperation in the fight to eliminate terrorism and extremism. Patrushev noted that the presidents of the two countries stressed their desire to improve bilateral relations when they met earlier this year.