Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
A senior aide to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has arrived in Moscow to discuss regional issues and bilateral ties with senior Russian officials.
Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, arrived in Moscow on Feb. 1 for a four-day official visit at the invitation of the head of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies, Leonid Reshetnikov, IRIB news agency reported Feb. 1.
Ahead of his departure for Moscow, Velayati described Iran and Russia as two influential countries in the region and the world.
Velayati touched upon cooperation between Tehran and Moscow in fight against terrorism and said Iran and Russia are the main pillars of regional cooperation.
He is expected to meet high-ranking Russian officials during the Moscow visit.
Earlier on Jan. 28, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Moscow to discuss Syrian crisis.
Positions of Moscow and Tehran are close on many issues of the Middle East, Amir-Abdollahian was quoted as saying.
A UN Security Council resolution on Dec. 18 approved a draft resolution on peace process in Syria. According to the resolution, Syrian government and opposition groups should attend peace talks to find a solution for putting an end to the crisis.
A special envoy of the UN is overseeing the Syrian government and the main opposition bloc, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) at the Syrian crisis talks.
The HNC has urged the government to release civilians from jails, stop air strikes and allow the humanitarian aid to be delivered into besieged towns.
Over 250,000 people have died and at least 11 million have been displaced in Syria, since the crisis broke out in 2011.