Putin voices satisfaction with development of Russia-Iran relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed satisfaction with the way the relations between Russia and Iran develop. He said so during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani.

"Overall, we may be pleased with the way our relations are developing," Putin said. "But there are always issues which require special attention on our part, and I am glad that we have an opportunity to talk about this today."

The Russian leader thanked his Iranian counterpart for the decision to take part in the BRICS summit events. "Iran is our traditional and reliable partner," Putin said.

Putin noted that the relations between the two countries were developing in a positive way despite all the difficulties in the global economy and the well-known restrictions. "The trade turnover grew over the past year, even though insignificantly, and this trend persisted in the first quarter of this year," the Russian leader said.

He also pointed to the development of inter-parliamentary ties between the two countries.