Oleg Salyukov made the remarks in a meeting with Iran’s Ground Forces Commander Brigade General Kioumars Heydari who arrived in Moscow for discussion of issues of bilateral military cooperation on Monday.

The official part of the bilateral negotiations took place at the Ground Forces Main Command Center, TASS reported.

The sides discussed issues of military cooperation and interaction, aimed at the implementation of projects that are supposed to improve the combat readiness of both countries’ armed forces.

Moscow and Tehran have intensive political dialogues for the development of bilateral relations, Salyukov said.

“The Russian Federation views Iran as one of the key states in the Middle East – it is Russia’s strategic partner, and the constant intensive political dialogue is a hallmark of the current stage of our partnership,” Salyukov underscored.

The Russian Defense Ministry noted that the sides achieved an agreement on further improvement of cooperation between Russian and Iranian ground forces in various areas.

Brigade General Heydari, for his part, announced Iran’s readiness to develop military cooperation with the Russian ground forces.

During the visit, the Iranian delegation laid down flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin and visited the Army 2023 international defense forum, where it examined the newest types of weapons and upcoming military vehicles.

In addition, the Iranian military delegation is slated to visit ground forces educational facilities and military-industrial complex enterprises.