Iran's president to attend Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Moscow on October 27

Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali told RIA Novosti that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) summit in Moscow on Tuesday, October 27. The ambassador said the trip is being coordinated and that the president will travel to the Russian capital specifically to take part in the summit.

According to Jalali, the main topics on the agenda will be economic and trade cooperation between Iran and Russia, including the North-South Corridor, energy security, food security and the development of trade relations. He added that the two presidents will also exchange views on geopolitical, international and political issues during the visit.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced during his visit to Tehran on October 19 that Vladimir Putin wants to meet Pezeshkian at the Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Moscow in late October. The meeting would bring the two heads of state together on the sidelines of the gathering of gas-exporting nations.

The GECF is a grouping of major gas-producing and exporting countries, and its summits typically address coordination on gas markets and related energy policy. The October 27 meeting in Moscow is set to convene member states' representatives, with the Iranian president among the participants.

The announcement comes as Iran and Russia have been expanding bilateral cooperation in trade, transport and energy. The North-South Corridor, a multi-country transport route linking Russia and India through Iran, has been a recurring item in discussions between the two governments.

According to Mehr News, the Iranian ambassador's remarks to RIA Novosti provided the details of the president's schedule and the topics expected to be discussed with Russian officials.