President Pezeshkian departs for Moscow to attend GECF summit

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian departed Tehran for Moscow to attend the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) summit, according to Mehr News Agency (MNA). The report said meetings with leaders of some countries attending the summit are among the possible plans for his trip to Russia.

Before leaving Tehran, Pezeshkian said that Tehran seeks expansion of ties with Russia, adding that in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin he will push for stepped-up relations between the two countries. The GECF is a grouping of major gas-exporting states, and the summit brings together leaders of member countries.

The report noted that prior to his departure for Moscow, Pezeshkian attended a four-way meeting with senior security officials of Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Monday afternoon. No further details of that meeting were provided in the report.

According to Mehr News Agency, the trip includes the GECF summit as its main purpose, with possible bilateral meetings with leaders of participating countries on the sidelines. The report did not specify the duration of the visit or the full list of leaders expected to attend.