On April 16, 2020, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Moscow organized a virtual meeting. The discussion focused on the interaction between Russian and Iranian think tanks, as well as the impact of COVID-19 on international affairs.
On April 16, 2020, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Moscow organized a virtual meeting. The discussion focused on the interaction between Russian and Iranian think tanks, as well as the impact of COVID-19 on international affairs.
Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General, and Ruslan Mamedov, RIAC Program Coordinator, had a meeting with Kazem Jalali, Iranian Ambassador to Russia. At the beginning of the meeting, Andrey Kortunov and Kazem Jalali noted the need to maintain and develop contacts between Russian and Iranian think tanks in the new realities. Ruslan Mamedov spoke about the studies carried out by RIAC on the Middle East vector and specifically about the Russian-Iranian area of studies at RIAC. The parties exchanged views on the formats to strengthen further the links between the analytical centers of the two countries and then proceeded to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the situation in the region and on global processes.
The participants of the meeting shared their vision regarding the state of relations between Russia and Iran, the role of state actors and international organizations, scenarios for the development of the situation with coronavirus and its impact on current processes. The parties also touched upon the impact of sanctions on banking operations and humanitarian cooperation, U.S. policy in the Middle East amid emerging shifts in regional conflicts (for example, in Yemen). Separate attentions was given to identifying opportunities for Russia and Iran to attract the like-minded countries in the fight against new challenges and threats.
The Council and the Embassy expressed their intention to further advance and strengthen the contacts between RIAC and Iranian analytical centers, as well as the hope of holding an in-person meeting in the future.
