Putin, Pezeshkian meet in Turkmenistan to expand cooperation

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Turkmenistan on Thursday to discuss expanding bilateral economic and strategic cooperation on the sidelines of regional summits, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA.

Bilateral cooperation

The two leaders reviewed progress in bilateral relations and discussed strengthening cooperation in key sectors including energy, agriculture, transportation and trade during the meeting in the Avaza National Tourist Zone on the Caspian coast. They emphasized the need to accelerate the finalization and completion of joint projects, reaffirming their commitment to expanding comprehensive cooperation in line with both countries' national interests and regional stability.

Regional security context

The meeting followed a telephone conversation between Pezeshkian and Putin on Wednesday in which the Russian president expressed Moscow's readiness to support diplomatic efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict. During their previous in-person encounter on September 1 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Putin described the US-Iran ceasefire as "unstable and too fragile," pledging continued support for Tehran amid the ongoing tensions.

Caspian and CIS summits

Putin arrived in Turkmenistan on Thursday for a two-day visit to attend both the Commonwealth of Independent States leaders' summit and the Caspian Sea environmental summit. The Caspian summit convenes the leaders of the five littoral states — Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan — focusing on environmental cooperation in the region, while the CIS gathering is expected to review cooperation among member states alongside regional and international developments.