Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has arrived in Russia on the second leg of his two-nation visit that also took him to Tajikistan.
On Friday morning, he left Tajikistan's capital of Dushanbe, where he held talks with his Tajik counterpart, Emomali Rahmon, on bilateral, regional and international issues and oversaw the signing of 23 documents on cooperation in different fields.
"We hope that by implementing these agreements, we will see significant steps towards increased interaction and achieving our desired goals," Pezeshkian said in a press conference on Thursday.
Iran and Tajikistan have numerous shared interests, he said, noting, "the necessary groundwork to surpass the half-billion-dollar trademark between our nations is achievable."
During his trip to Dushanbe, Pezeshkian also met with the Iranians residing in Tajikistan and received an honorary diploma along with an honorary professorship at the Avicenna Tajik State Medical University (ATSMU).
In his visit to Moscow, the Iranian president will meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and discuss the "prospects for further expansion of bilateral cooperation, including in trade, investment, transport, logistics, and culture, as well as current regional and international issues," according to the Kremlin.
Following the talks, the two sides will sign an agreement on a comprehensive strategic partnership between Iran and Russia.
The new 20-year deal covers economic, transportation, energy, health, and agricultural areas, in addition to Tehran-Moscow cooperation to deal with common challenges, reduce the consequences of natural disasters, combat organized crimes, fight terrorism, and make joint investments.
Iran and Russia are both subject to illegal Western sanctions. They have over the past years deepened their cooperation in various sectors.