Iran President Hassan Rouhani said relations between Tehran and Moscow will be to the benefit of both nations as well as the region, adding these relations are not against any third country.

President Rouhani made the remarks on Monday prior to departing Tehran for Moscow.

Speaking to reporters, President Rouhani said Russia as a very important country in the region is among Iran’s neighbors.

Elaborating on developments in bilateral relations, the president said before the victory of the Islamic revolution, the Iranian government was an ally of the United Sates which was a source of concern for the then Soviet Union.

After the triumph of the Islamic revolution, bilateral relations entered into a new phase, said the president.

Following the eight years of war with Iraq (1980-1988) and with the visit of the late Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani to Russia, a significant development happened in bilateral relations and a number of important agreements were signed during the visit between the two countries.

The third phase was establishment of the new Russian government which led to a new stage in relations, President Rouhani said.

The president referred to the current ties between the two countries as the fourth phase in which the two sides have adopted very close stands at international relations and have bolstered relations in effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in which Russia played a very crucial role.

Source: IRNA