Raisi's visit will be the first by an Iranian president to Russia since 2017: Ali Akbar Velayati

Chief political adviser for Iranian Islamic revolution's leader Ali Akbar Velayati confirmed Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Russia will be a turning point in the history of Iranian diplomacy in regard to lifting and thwarting sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic.

In an interview for Iranian newspaper Kayhan, Velayati indicated that Russia had played a major role in supporting Iran in the international arenas, stressing that Iran's regional power is on the rise and that Iran is today different from what it was 50 years ago.

Earlier, Russia's Kremlin said that President Vladimir Putin will host his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow on Wednesday and will discuss "all issues related to bilateral cooperation," amid the ongoing Vienna negotiations that aim to revive the Iranian nuclear deal.

Raisi's visit will be the first by an Iranian president to Russia since 2017.

Earlier this month, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted "real progress" in the talks.

A turning point in historical relations

Al Mayadeen's correspondent quoted informed sources as saying that a large delegation of Iranian officials and businessmen arrived in Moscow in preparation for Raisi's visit.

The sources revealed that members of the Iranian delegation are holding talks with Russian institutions and ministries on developing cooperation between the two countries, noting that military-technical cooperation will be at the top of the agenda of the Russian-Iranian meeting.

Raisi considers his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin one of the most prominent world leaders and intends to achieve a strategic breakthrough in relations with Russia, the sources added.

Iran's Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali expressed that the upcoming two-day visit will be a turning point in historical relations between the Islamic Republic and Russia.

Ulyanov: Iranians absolutely right

For his part, Moscow's lead negotiator to the Vienna talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, stressed that "Iranians are absolutely right when they ask for guarantees" against another US withdrawal from the negotiations.

Some people don’t want to learn lessons from the failed maximum pressure policy. Iranians are absolutely right when they ask for guarantees against a repetition of this catastrophic adventure. https://t.co/qIncsIwpaI
— Mikhail Ulyanov (@Amb_Ulyanov) January 17, 2022

Referring to the US, Ulyanov pointed out that some sides "don’t want to learn lessons from the failed maximum pressure policy," describing Washington's withdrawal from the agreement as a "catastrophic adventure."

A turning point in historical relations

Ulyanov: Iranians absolutely right

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