Following calls from Tehran to revise a previous stance, Russia reaffirmed its respect for Iran�s sovereignty over the three Persian Gulf islands of the Greater Tumb, Lesser Tumb and Abu Musa.






During a meeting with the Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali, Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian president�s special representative for the Middle East, underscored his country�s firm stance toward the Islamic Republic as a friendly country.

Various topics, including the latest state of bilateral relations between Iran and Russia, were discussed during the meeting.

The islands of the Greater Tumb, Lesser Tumb and Abu Musa have historically been part of Iran, proof of which can be found and corroborated in historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and worldwide. However, the UAE has repeatedly laid unfounded claim to the islands.

Last Monday, the sixth joint ministerial meeting of the strategic dialogue between the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Russian Federation in Moscow ended with a joint statement that supported the UAE�s initiative to resolve the issue of the Iranian islands through negotiations and based on international law.

Iran�s Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador on Wednesday to protest the contents of the joint statement while urging Russia to revise its stance on the issue.

By IRNA