Sputnik - On November 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay an official visit to Iran. The key issues to be discussed with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will be the situation in the Middle East and the bilateral relations of the two nations. On the eve of the visit, Iranian political analysts told Sputnik what other topics might be on the agenda.




The priority issue should be the joint opposition to�US intentions in�the Middle East, as�well as�their expansionist policies in�Syria and Iraq, according to�Afife Abedi, a member of�the research group specializing on�the Eurasian region at�the Scientific Center for�Strategic Studies for�Advisability of�the Islamic Republic of�Iran.

�I believe that one of�the important topics that both Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani should pay special attention to�and actively�promote initiatives�in�this direction in�the future is the issue of�our common position on�countering the United States. After all, it is the US that is currently pursuing an active policy of�sanctions against�our states, lobbied in�the US Congress. In my opinion, such aggression on�part of�Washington against�Tehran and Moscow shows that the US authorities want to�weaken our countries,� Abedi said.

He further said that the US continues to�carry out��destructive policies�in�the Middle East, in�particular in�Syria. He added that it was �the strengthening of�cooperation between�Russia and Iran in�Syria that marked the turning point in�the complex military conflict,� so mutual cooperation must continue.

According to�Abedi there have been attempts to�prevent this strengthening of�cooperation between�the two countries in�the region.
�Therefore, Iran and Russia, as�guarantors of�peace and stability in�this whole complex process must actively oppose all these ambitious plans of�the US and its allies,� the analyst said.


Ahmad Vahshiteh, a specialist on�Russian-Iranian relations and editor-in-chief of�Russia Viewer, believes that Vladimir Putin will pay attention to�closer cooperation between�the two countries in�the situation of�Syria not only in�the military sphere, but�also in�the reconstruction of�the war-torn country.

�In addition, there is the problem of�the independence of�Iraqi Kurdistan, which also should not be left without�attention. Russia and Iran play a significant role in�this process,� the specialist said.

In turn, Dr. Hamid Reza Azizi, a senior researcher at�the Center for�the Study of�Iran and Eurasia (IRAS) and senior lecturer at�the Department of�Regional Studies at�the University of�Shahid Behestti, hopes that the Russian leader will not ignore issues of�cooperation between�the countries in�the Caspian Sea and will highlight the issues regarding the North-South transport corridor.
"It is known that Vladimir Putin's visit is timed to�the meeting of�the presidents of�the three states: Russia,�Iran�and Azerbaijan. Therefore, it would be good if the issues of�the region where the interests of�these countries are represented are addressed, such as�the problem of�the legal status of�the Caspian Sea and all the issues arising from�it,� Azizi said.


He also spoke about�the need to�address the interaction of�Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan within�the framework of�activation of�the North-South transport corridor.

�As for�the bilateral meeting between�Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani, the priority is cooperation on�the issue of�the Syrian settlement, taking into�account the results that were obtained at�the regular talks in�Astana,� the analyst said.