Russian President: Ready to Do Everything Possible to Help Iran Resolve the Middle East Crisis

Moscow, Oct 8 (KUNA) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed on Thursday his country’s readiness to do everything possible to assist Iran in resolving the Middle East crisis, stressing that the situation in the region represents the “most pressing problem” at present. The Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that Putin, during his meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of his visit to Turkmenistan, reiterated Russia’s willingness to contribute to settlement efforts. The Russian presidential administration (the Kremlin) stated that Putin and Pezeshkian also discussed the trajectory of bilateral relations, noting that they are developing positively, with bilateral trade volume rising by more than 21 percent by the end of 2025 and maintaining an upward trend during the first seven months of the current year. The meeting takes place as part of Putin’s working visit to Turkmenistan on October 8 and 9 to participate in the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Environmental Summit of Caspian Sea states. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov had previously clarified that the Putin-Pezeshkian meeting would address, alongside bilateral cooperation, the “acute situation” in the Middle East. The Russian president arrived in the Avaza tourist area on the Caspian Sea coast to take part in the multilateral meetings. Putin also held a bilateral meeting with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow as part of the visit; the meeting was scheduled in a bilateral format before the launch of the CIS summit activities. The CIS summit will review the results of cooperation among member states and priorities for joint action, along with a number of international and regional issues, while the Caspian Sea Environmental Summit will focus on cooperation among the littoral states in areas of environmental protection and preservation of the region’s ecosystem. Leaders of several CIS countries, as well as the leaders of the five Caspian littoral states—Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan—are participating in the meetings. (End) D.A.N./H.M.F.